Tricks of the Trade
by Ransomed Heart
Summary: Ulrich is a top notch bounty hunter who always gets his target. Yumi is an international thief who has never been caught or identified. Is is possible to trust each other? Final Chapter posted!
1. A Natural Arrogance

This is going to be a hard one to write, so wish me luck! Mega thankies to everyone that voted! After this fic or Honor is completed I will start Winner Take All, because it had the second most votes.

And the really good news is that my formatting looks less icky now because of something fanfiction did! No more double spacing for me! (I have word pad, and it sucks royally, that's why my formatting used to be all messed up.)  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own Code Lyoko, or the song lyrics used at the begining of the prologue, they are sung by Kenny Rodgers.  
  
_Dedication: This is for Rob, the closest I'll ever get to a big brother, with love, from 'Red'_  
  
**Tricks of the Trade by Ransomed Heart**

**Prologue: Of Pasts and Puppies**  
  
_[Sweep away the sand and dry the ocean _

_And just _

_Pack the moon and stars up in a _

_Cardboard box and _

_Stop the clocks from chiming _

_Block the sun from shining _

_Paint the sky a deeper shade of blue _

_'Cause my world's over without you.]_

Sometimes it's hard to get over a person. They come into your life like the police barging through the door on a drug bust; with no warning and no apologies. Not that Yumi had ever apologized. It simply wasn't in her nature. Everything she did she had done with absolute certainty with no looking back and no regrets. It was one of the things he had always loved about her, Yumi's ability to simply forget the past.

For most people the past is a shadow that follows them around like a lost puppy. A mean lost puppy that is waiting for them to drop their guard so that it can run up and bite them in the butt. People will react to this differently. Some will scream and run like the devil himself is after them, those are the people who can't face their past. Some people will bite the puppy right back, those are the people who face their past head-on and will eventually conquer it. Then there are the lucky few who never run into lost puppies at all. Those are people like Yumi. It was an aspect of her he had never fully grasped in the short time he had known her, how she could simply avoid her past. How she could simply avoid him.

-----

It had been a chilly fall morning at Cadic Jr. High. Yumi had strode up the sidewalk path just as she did every morning. Odd, Ulrich, Jeremie and Aelita were gathered around a tree laughing at something Odd said. XANA had been deactivated in the previous year, so this year Aelita had a dorm on campus and she and Jeremie were happily dating. Odd was the same old person, though he had developed an intrest in Naomi that was yet to be returned.

Ulrich saw her first and froze like a deer in the headlights. He knew confrontation was coming, but was able to do little but stare it in the face and hope that it braked before he got hit. Yumi considered mercy for a moment, but continued toward the group, noting Ulrich as he paled slightly under her gaze. The others had seen her now too and were looking at her with a strange mix of expectaion and horror.

Her fight the night before with Ulrich had been explosive. The two teens had verbally battled it out before God and peers in the same courtyard they were standing in now, though what the mini war had been about was anyone's guess. Theories had run wild the night before, though the general concensus was that Ulrich had said something stupid, or at least that was what the girls thought. That could be attributed to the fact they Jr. High boys were prone to saying stupid things. Millie and Tamiya had appeared at Ulrich and Odd's door early that morning, camera on and notebook and pen poised to get the dirty details. Ulrich had shoved the door in their surprised faces.

Sissy too had made an entrance that morning, this time at the breakfast table. The principle's daughter had slid into the seat usually occupied by Yumi at lunch and firted shamelessly and badly, so much so that Odd was snickering into his food. After several minutes of this with no response at all from Ulrich she grew offened and stormed off like hell's harpie on a rampage.

The other students had backed off now, sensing that blood would be spilled here and now in one way or another, and they didn't want it to be their's. Yumi reached the group and stood, eyes locked on Ulrich. His eyes were locked on hers as well, and the resulting standoff was a long and tense one.

Finally Yumi broke the eerie silence with a single statement. "I'm moving."

The rest of the group blinked. They had expected rage, anger, shouting. Even slapping Ulrich would have not caused as much shock as that single statement. Jeremie, ever the logical one, recovered first.

"Where? Why?" The questions were simple.

Yumi's eyes were pinned on Ulrich still. "My parents told me last night to surprise me. We are moving to America this weekend." It was Thursday already. "I won't be at school tomorrow, I have to help pack." The warning bell rang, urging the students to head to class or face the prospect of a tardy. Heeding it, Odd, Aelita and Jeremie moved off with stunned looks on their faces, leaving Yumi and Ulrich standing there.

"You don't want to be late, I know how little time you have for your friends, " Yumi prompted him in a dry voice with a hint of sarcasm.

Ulrich's initial shock fled before a rush of rage. "Don't start this up again, Yumi!" It was a warning, hissed in a low voice. It didn't faze the older girl.

"Of course not. Go find Emily, I'm sure you have time to walk her to class." Yumi stuck the verbal barb in him and twisted it. Before Ulrich could respond though, she marched away, out of his sight and out of his life.

_-----Ten Years Later-----_  
**Chapter One: A Natural Arrogance**

Ulrich reached over and slapped groggily at his bedside table. After several long seconds he was rewarded with a click and an end to the insistant beeping. The offending alarm clock had been a gift from his parents, and the twenty-four year old could only assume it was his mother's way of nagging him yo get up without actually being there. It had been a long time since he had required earplugs to sleep, but he still slept light enough that the alarm woke him up without too much trouble.

Kicking aside the sheets, he moved in a zombie-like fashion to the bathroom, blinking into the mirror that hung dutifully above the sink. "Mirror, mirror," he muttered in a mocking voice, taking in the dark rings under his eyes and his hair tossled from sleep. Not that he'd gotten much sleep, so the hair was probably the result of the previous night's activities.

Ulrich grumbled his way through his morning grooming routine, muttering darkly into the sink about the night before. Abandoning the bathroom, he moved on to the closet, selecting a pair of dark jeans and a white t-shirt with a plaid button-up to go over it. His tastes hadn't changed much.

Shuffling through the expansive apartment he reached the kitchen. Pulling out a bowl and a carton of milk, he poured in the cereal. Lucky Charms had become a favorite; sugar and caffenine were often the only things keeping him awake on days like this one. Setting that down on the table, he went to the doorand found his paper waiting outside as though it expected him. Most in this particualar apartment complex in New York City could afford to have their papers delivered, sparing them the trip down to the sidewalk to buy one off a corner.

The building itself was ten stories high, more like a hotel than an apartment building really. It was fancy and well-to-do, often leaving Ulrich feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Sometimes he wondered why these people lived in a apartment rather than a mansion somewhere. There were only two possible conclusions. They either had a job like his but (also like him) had no significant other to share the wealth with, or simply loved the city.

A glance at the rubber band bound mass told him all he needed to know. There had been another robbery last night, and the headlines proclaimed, 'Jewel Thief Strikes Again! Fourth Robbery This Month!' Ulrich sighed and went back inside.

Plopping down in the waiting chair, he removed the rubber band and a package rolled into his lap.

Ulrich sighed again, wishing for a break. Cereal forgotten, he shoved the paper aside and opened the pakage, finding a note and dvd inside. It was totally beyond him how they could fit a dvd inside the newspaper, but who was he to argue?

He had moved to the U.S. after graduating, and became a fugitive apprehension agent for the government, taking whatever jobs were too top secret or too dangerous for normal agents. Ulrich wasn't a normal bounty hunter though. Instead of going after F.T.A.s, he went after those who hadn't been caught yet. Bounty hunter was simply a job discription. He did take normal cases every now and then, but he usually did what various governments ordered. Today, his orders came from the big man himself, though he worked for whatever government chose to hire him. An international apprehension agent. Apparently this particular string of thefts had the politicians up in D.C. worried, for whatever reason.

He unfolded the note, finding it stamped with the President's seal, and sighed again. He skimmed the note and found exactly what he'd thought he'd find. "So much for taking the day off." It suddenly seemed oddly appropriate that the pakage had come with that particular newspaper issue, his target was featured on the front page. Following the instructions given in the letter, he moved into the living room and placed the dvd in the player.

Ulrich watched as various jewelery stores rolled across the screen, the crime scenes no doubt. He admired the robber's handiwork, whoever it was certainly knew what they were doing. No fingerprints, no hairs, and they only took the good stuff. Though Ulrich had to admit, that information came from the numerous articles that the newspaper had run over the past weeks. The young man chuckled lowly. And the President was desperate enough to call in the bounty hunter. Who ever said the government wasn't corrupt?

Ulrich continued to watch as he was given details on all four crime scenes. Following that was probably the biggest ruby Ulrich had ever seen. It was currently being imported from a foreign country, due to arrive that day, which explained why he was being brought in. The government obviously didn't want it stolen; it might cause a...kink in their relations with whatever country it was coming in from.

Then came the target, and Ulrich's breath caught in his chest. "It can't be....not her....Anyone but her...."

-----

Yumi Ishiyama strode confidently down the streets of NYC as if she owned the place. Considering the major amount of panic she had the larger jewelery stores in, she might as well own the place. It was an intresting feeling, that of power, and she hadn't felt this secure of herself in a long time. She knew that was twisted, but it mattered very little to her. She was on the top of the world, especially with that emerald stashed safely away in the safe concealed in her apartment, waiting to be delivered to it's new owner.

The landlord hadn't even noticed that she'd come in late. Well, he had, but he assumed she was drunk. In high school Yumi had discovered a passion for acting. The drama club had needed a lead for Miss Saigon, and they wanted someone Asian for that part. Dispite her initial reservations and pleas that she was the wrong nationality, Yumi had loved it, and continued acting. Now those skills came in handy. When she had stumbled (in a very literal sense)in at about two in the morning, the landlord was kind enough to escourt the poor, drunken Yumi up to her spacious apartment on the third floor. Not that she was really drunk, she never drank at all as a matter of fact.

It was somewhat the same way about her job. She always paid the rent, and she always left at nine and returned at six like clockwork every day. It wasn't her fault the landlord and every other person assumed she went to work. Yumi did take odd jobs every now and then, but for the most part spent her days leisurly relaxing in the park or elsewhere. It wasn't like she really needed the money anyway.

Her high heels made an almost annoying clipping sound on the harsh cement as she continued walking, pausing occasionally to peer in a store window. Her clothes were designer and she felt very proper amid the usual crowd on the street. She smoothed down the edge of her black skirt, checking it in the reflection to be sure of it's smoothness. It was a new skirt, coming to about her knees and flared out in an almost ruffle-like manner. The shirt was white with a black design on the front. It left her shoulders bare. Her hair was pinned up in a simple bun. She wore no makeup, she never had liked the stuff.

Moving on down the street, Yumi felt a feeling of haughty arrogance well up inside her. No one could stop her. Yumi smirked to herself. Today was a good day.


	2. A Hole in the World

**Chapter Two: A Hole in the World**  
  
**_'Let the gentle, kindly phantoms _**

**_Haunt as they will;_**

**_We are not afraid of them'_**

**_-Jerome K. Jerome_**

Ulrich stared numbly at the screen for a long time. Yumi had walked out of his life while they were still in junior high, and it was something he'd had a hard time forgetting. He had never dated another girl, not seriously anyway. He hadn't dated Emily at least. He felt that he owed that to Yumi, like maybe if he didn't like Emily that Yumi would come back. Foolish, but such were the dreams of a young teen in love. He hadn't known it was love at the time; only years later had it dawned on him that he was and forever would be in love with the one girl he couldn't have. How painfully stupid, that the one who was forever with him had removed herself permenantly from his life.  
  
And now she was back, in all her fury and glory. Had it not seen her with his own eyes, Ulrich would never have believed it. After all these years...  
  
He rose and returned to his bedroom, sliding a black leather bag out from under his bed. he checks it's contents with an air of experience. Handcuffs, pager, gps locater, and a gun. A .38 revolver to be exact. He knew he could pack a more hefty weapon, but this gun suited him fine. The other painfully stupid fact of the situtaion, that he had to hunt her down. It seemed ironic.  
  
Heading back through the house, he made certain to lock the door before he left. Not that a lock would stop anyone who really wanted to get in, but at least it was a minor barrier.  
  
-----  
  
Yumi swirled the straw around in the shirley temple. She always had enjoyed this particular sidewalk cafe, but today it didn't lift her spirits. Even the drink, a personal favorite (she always had loved cherry), failed to improve her mood. She was plotting her next move, and it seemed it would prove the most difficult heist yet. But what the boss demanded the boss got, and he paid far too well for Yumi to argue.  
  
She knew it was lazy of her to be waiting until the day of the ruby's arrival to plan the robbery, but the stealing of the emerald the night before had left her tired. Yumi sighed, leaning back in the chair, deciding it was better to wait until the ruby was in possession of the government, then steal it. She didn't want to deal with the guards that drove armoured cars, too messy. Not her style anyway, she like stealth. It was easier to sneak into a vault than into a vehicle anyway.  
  
-----  
  
Ulrich pulled up to the curb in front of the small white building in his black Escalade. The sign above the door proclaimed 'Jack's Bail Bonding Company.' Pressing the button to lock the doors, Ulrich appraoched the building. There was no bell on the door to announce his arrival, but the secretary, a petite brunette named Jodie, looked up as he closed the door behind him. She gave him a pretty smile and greeted him warmly.  
  
"Hello. I heard you caught Boomer last night. You're here for your percent of the cash then?"  
  
Ulrich nodded, producing a reciept from his pocket. Tomas 'Boomer' Billington had been a simple FTA case, not much to it. It had been a long night though, and after a wild chase on foot through the bad side of town and turning Billington in to the police after one in the morning, Ulrich had gone home and flopped into bed. "Also, has any information come in for me?" The government usually used this office as a go-between to reach Ulrich and get information on his latest case to him, what wasn't sent through the odd newspaper or package, anyway. In all probability, all he would need to know on his latest target had already arrived.  
  
Jodie handed him a check for $10,000.00. "As a matter of fact, yes. This arrived by fax this morning." She scooted the chair over to a large filing cabinet and opened the top drawer. She leafed through it for a moment, then pulled out a manilla folder with several papers in it. "Big case," she inqired as she handed it to Ulrich.  
  
"Real big," he confirmed. Jodie never read the files herself, but was just curious enough to want to know if the case was one she might have heard about. She had of course, this case was plastered over every newspaper in the country. She'd have to be a hermit not to have heard about it, but Ulrich didn't tell her that.  
  
Just then a door at the rear of the room opened and Jack emerged. Jack Jones was a small, plump man with a rosey comlexion and knowing eyes. "Ah, my favorite bounty hunter," Jack crowed merrily when he caught sight of Ulrich. "Off on a new case, no doubt."  
  
Ulrich had flipped open the folder and was staring intensely at the top page. It had a photo clipped to it of his target. No denying it now, he mused. The woman in the photo was undoubtedly Yumi Ishiyama. The name on the sheet of paper under the picture confirmed this grim piece of information. She looked much the same was in junior high, but her hair was longer now, and she wore it pulled back. Jack's voice snapped Ulrich out of his reverie.  
  
"You okay there, Ulrich," he asked. Ulrich shook his head to clear it.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the info." Ulrich turned on his heel and left as suddenly as he had entered.  
  
-----  
  
Yumi had resorted to stirring the ice around in the glass, as the shirley temple was long gone. The ruby was going to be kept in the New York National Bank (AN- It doesn't really exist, I think, but for story purposes, it does) until being put on display during some senator's speech in Central Park, scheduled to take place in three days. Her employer wanted it, along with the emerald from last night's robbery, the sapphire, the topaz, and the diamond delivered by the end of the week. Today was Tuesday, and she had all but the ruby. Each gem was the biggest and most perfect of it's kind, and stealing all of them had been no easy task.  
  
So tonight was the night. She would strike just after the ruby had been safely locked away in the vault, snatch it and be out before anyone was the wiser.  
  
Smugly, Yumi rose, leaving several dollars on the table to cover the bill and a tip.  
  
-----  
  
Ulrich collasped back onto his couch, pressing his face into the pillow for a good scream. Screaming can be therapudic, though it didn't seem to help him much.  
  
He sat up, determinded to think this issue through. I am a bounty hunter, he told himself. My target is Yumi Ishiyama. Yumi is the girl I loved in junior high, and who walked out of my life for good. I should have no problems whatsoever bringing her in.  
  
Besides, he reasoned, knowing her is a good thing. It's easier to predict someone if you know how they think. But a small nagging voice in the back of his head chided him. But I never predicted her leaving. I never saw that one coming. Or that she would leave angry at me. I have no idea how she thinks, what makes her tick. All I know is that her leaving created a void in my life. A hole in my world that no other girl ever filled.  
  
For a while, he remembered, I would still hear her voice, still see her coming up the path to the school like a ghost coming back to mock me. Her presense was like a phantom, haunting his days and keeping him awake at night.  
  
Ulrich took a deep calming breath and grabbed his bag off the floor. Duty called.


	3. Staining the Twilight Black

The next chapter of Honor is coming, I promise!  
****

**Chapter Three: Staining the Twilight Black**  
  
_[You're waiting here _

_For someone else to break you _

_From the inside _

_You've been so composed _

_But we all know there's _

_Always something _

_Tearing you apart _

_Always so much longer _

_Than you counted on _

_It hits you so much harder _

_Than you thought _

_But you don't worry _

_Don't worry _

_'Cause you got soul]_  
_**-Matchbox 20, 'Soul'**_  
  
Things were quiet in the city that never sleeps as Ulrich hovered under a window in an abandoned building that sat squarely across from the New York National Bank. Occasionally he would glance down at the folder in his had to make absolutely sure that he had the right place. It was twilight now and the sun was setting over the horizon. Ulrich was sure she would go for it tonight. Tonight would be the easiest time to get that ruby, and Ulrich intended to be ready.  
  
The chase the night before was starting to catch up to him. Ulrich felt his eyelids begin to droop. He shook his head to clear it. Stay focused, he chided himself. He was after a criminal, this was no time for a nap. But sleep called his name like the siren of legends, and Ulrich felt himself drift away...  
  
Ulrich awoke some time later to the sound of a cocking gun. Immidiately he snapped awake, eyes wide and hands groping around for his bag with the gun. Where was his gun?  
  
"Looking for this?" The femanine voice drifted out of the shadows with a confident air about it. Like maybe the voice's owner was holding a gun pointed at his skull. Ulrich's bag was tossed to him. He did a quick check of it. He still had the cuffs, but his .38 was missing, as was his knife. Other, less-deadly items were still inside. "So what are you doing here," the voice inquired. It was dark now, but Ulrich thought he could make out the outline of her body in the faint light coming through the window. He could definately see a gun in her hand, though it wasn't his, he was fairly sure of that.  
  
"Give me my gun and knife." She laughed at his demands.  
  
"Funny that you make demands when I'm the one holding the Glock." Well, at least he knew what kind of gun she had now, little good it would do him. "Now what are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask the same of you," Ulrich snapped back. He had no idea why he was being so cocky whens he obviously had the position of power in this situation. Pride always had been a fault of his, and it was going to get him killed one of these days. Possibly even tonight if he didn't learn how to keep his mouth shut.  
  
"Tell me what you're doing here!" Her voice rang out, but Ulrich noted it had jumped an octave. She was scared. On impluse Ulrich stood, starting towards her. If he was right he could get out of this. If he was wrong he would have to count on her having bad aim.  
  
He got closer and closer until he could feel the Glock's barrel pressing into his leather jacket. He had changed into all black before he'd left his apartment.  
  
The Glock was shaking, he could feel it beating an unsteady rythm against his chest. Unless that was his heart that was doing the erratic thumping. Ulrich hoped it was the gun. "Take it easy," he cooed at her gently. "Just put the gun down now. I'm not armed, I can't hurt you." Okay, so he probably could hurt her, armed or not, but at least he couldn't shoot or stab her. The gun didn't move.  
  
Ulrich raised his arm in a chopping motion, knocking the gun away from her failing grasp. She gasped and fumbled for it desprately even as it clattered to the floor. He kicked it out of her reach. She squealed and made a break for it by taking off towards the doorway. Ulrich grabbed her arm and was dragged several feet back into the light of the window before he could stop her. He admired her strength for a moment before getting a good look at her.  
  
In the pale light that shone through the window like a spotlight she stood there and Ulrich understood her fear of him. She was a hooker, and a beat up one at that. It looked like someone had roughed her up really bad.  
  
"What's you name," he asked in what he hoped was a gentle, non-threatening voice. He wasn't good at gentle, non-threatening voices.  
  
"Amber," she offered meekly. "What are you going to do with me?"  
  
Ulrich sighed. "I'm going to take you to the local shelter. Once we're there you can tell me where you hid my gun and knife." She looked surprised, this was obviously not the answer she had been expecting. "I'm a fugitive apprehension agent, and I don't hurt women unless I have to. And I'm probably nothing like the jerk who screwed you over, if you'll excuse the expression. Now let's go."  
  
She followed him out the door silently. Ulrich cursed himself for his laziness. None of this would have happened if he had only stayed awake. Now he had all but blown any chance he had at capturing Yumi. They reached his Escalade and slide in. He turned the key, and the digital clock read midnight. The witching hour, though it didn't seem so spooky right now.  
  
Once at the shelter Amber had handed over Ulrich's weapons and thanked him profusely. He chalked the incident up to the chaos factor and returned to the abandoned building. The whole plan to catch Yumi had been tossed into the wind, but hey, at least he had done a good deed.  
  
Peering once more out the window proved to Ulrich that all was quiet at the bank. He stared intently at it for a moment, daring Yumi to try and take that ruby.  
  
There was a flicker of movement in one of the front windows. More like a shift in the shadows. No much to go on, but it was a slight indication of life inside the building. Ulrich decided to act.  
  
He slunk across the deserted street like a cat and up to the bank. The entry point wasn't out front, but that would have been to easy and obvious for Yumi anyway. Ulrich continued around one corner to the back. Nothing. The place was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Ulrich looked up at the starless sky. What now?  
  
The roof! Ulrich sprinted around to the only side of the building he hadn't seen yet. Sur enough, a thin rope hung from where a grappling hook attached it to the roof. Ulrich had the sudden wish that he'd paid more attention when Jim was teaching them how to climb.  
  
The bounty hunter took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and scaled the wall. Ulrich hauled himself into a standing position on the roof and gazed back down into the alleyway. "I guess she's not scared of heights anymore," he muttered.  
  
A quick inspection of the roof revealed the entry point. There were several skylights, and one of them had a decent sized hole cut in it from a glass cutter. At least she wasn't sloppy. Ulrich gave yet another sigh and check that his bag was secure on his shoulders. Gently with practiced eased, Ulrich slipped himself down into the hole. So much for not catching her.


	4. Wild Angels

**Chapter Four: Wild Angels**  
  
_[She's a wild one _

_With an angels' face _

_She's a woman-child _

_In a state of grace _

_When she was three years old _

_On her daddy's knee _

_He said 'You can be _

_Anything you want to be'_

_She's a wild one _

_Running free.]_

**_-Faith Hill 'Wild One'  
_**  
Ulrich dropped quietly onto the marble floor of the bank, absorbing the shock with his knees and standing quickly with his hand on his gun. It never hurt to be cautious. After all, ten years could change a lot about a person.  
  
"Not so fast." Ulrich slapped himeself several times mentally and braced for what was sure to happen next. "Take off then gun, buddy, and hand it over." He complied, removing the gun from his holster and skidding it towards the voice.  
  
Mustering up all his willpower, Ulrich started in a commanding voice. "Yumi Ishiyama, you are under arrest for the theft of the three rare gems and for the attempted theft of another." It didn't help that this wasn't normally what he told people. Normally the line was somthing like 'You are in violation of your bond agreement, and I need yo take you down to the station to reschedule.'  
  
A laugh greeted him in response. He was getting really sick of cocky female laughs, but Ulrich was hearing quite a bit of them tonight. "And how do you intend to bring me in without a gun?" She stepped closer, out of the shadows, and Ulrich found himself face to face with Yumi for the first time in ten years.  
  
She gasped, moving in clser for a better look. "Ulrich? Is that really you?"  
  
"One and the same." Keep cool, he ordered himself. Keep totally cool. Ice. You are ice.  
  
"Well, this is a shock," she said wryly. "Peachy. How'd you get my case?"  
  
"I can't answer that."  
  
"Ah-ah-ah," she cooed. "I have the gun, remember?" As if to verify this fact she waved it in front of him, just out of his grasp. "Are you in law enforcement now?"  
  
"You could say that." She shot him a look. "I'm a fugitive apprehension agent." Yumi's wrath was something he remembered all too well. It was rarely shown, but it wasn't something he enjoyed tangoing with. There had only been a few occasions when she had been truely mad. One was when he and Odd had shut off their mobiles to play a prank on Sissy. Meanwhile, X.A.N.A. had attacked but Yumi couldn't get ahold of them. The other times had been the Emily incidents.  
  
Yumi sighed. "Bounty hunter."  
  
"The fancy title doesn't fool many people any more," Ulrich confessed. "But it makes the job sound nicer."  
  
"Not if you're a fugitive." Ulrich had no response to that. "Don't move. I want to finish what I started. I haven't even gotten to the vault yet." Yumi waved the gun at him one last time and moved into the bank's back room to finish her assignment. Ulrich groped around and found the counter, leaning on it for support.  
  
A shriek came from the back room, followed by a long string of obscenities in both English and Jaspanese. The theif came rushing out of the back room and stared at Ulrich with a mix of fear and rage. "The guard is dead."  
  
The fact that there was a guard had been news to him, but Ulrich decided it made sense. "Now you're under arrest for the homocide of the guard."  
  
"I didn't kill him," she spat angerly. "He's just slumped against the wall with a bullet through his forehead!"  
  
"And....?"  
  
"And what?! I just told you there was a dead guard!"  
  
"So? I'm here to take you down, not check out dead bodies. The guard is your problem, not mine."  
  
Now her expression was all rage. "There's another problem too." Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "The ruby is gone."  
  
Right on cue a fax machine whirred to life from behind the tellar's booth. The occupants of the bank froze and, war forgotten for a moment, made their way around to see what came out. Ulrich wanted to know what a fax machine was doing 'on' after closing, but didn't question it.  
  
A single paper had emerged. Ulrich picked it up and read it. 'FIND THE RUBY BEFORE FRIDAY!' The paper held no identifying numbers, so it was a pretty good assumption it came from the Feds.  
  
"Aparently I'm not the only thing you have to hunt down now," Yumi mused aloud. "The plot thickens."  
  
"I don't suppose you know who took it?"  
  
"All I know is I need that jewel by the end of the week or my head's on the chopping block." Ulrich doubted anyone could put Yumi's head on the chopping block.  
  
"So now what, we race to find the ruby?"  
  
"Guess so." Yumi shrugged it off.  
  
"May the best man or woman win," Ulrich said fairly.  
  
"Oh, I intend to," Yumi said, striding away. "Here." She turned and tossed him his gun. "I trust you won't shoot me in the back." She moved wordlessly to the rope and climbed up. Ulrich watched her go numbly.  
  
When Yumi reached the top she pulled her rope back up. Ulrich saw it rising and went for it, but by that time it was already too high.  
  
"Yumi!"  
  
"Tehe. Later!" She disappeared from view, leaving Ulrich alone in the bank with the dead guy.  
  
"That's Yumi alright," Ulrich said aloud. "Stubborn as ever."


	5. Deals with the Devil

**Chapter Five: Deals with the Devil**  
  
_**"Last time you called me late at night you were naked and chained to your shower curtain rod. I hope this isn't going to be dissappointing."** -Ranger, Janet Evanovich's 'High Five'_  
  
Ulrich took a deep, relaxing breath and looked around. How to get out of a locked bank? Yumi had obviously disabled the security system because cutting open the syklight would have triggered it otherwise. Still, better to prevent any more property damage, so breaking another window was out of the question unless he got real desperate.  
  
To his left were the tellar's booths with a window behind them for a drive-through. There was also a doorway that led to the vault area. Behind him was the main entrance, a set of glass doors. To his right was a waiting area with a coffe table and tacky furniture. Directly in front of him was an entryway leading into several offices, the restrooms, and a drinking fountain.  
  
Deciding he didn't want to look at the dead guy by the vault Ulrich headed for the office area. The first door was locked, but the second was open. Ulrich tsked inwardly at sloppy management, but was relieved to find an open door.

He entered the room and found what he'd been hoping for, long curtains. Ulrich took them down carefully so as not to rip them, and grabbed a marble paperweight off the desk.  
  
The bounty hunter re-entered the main room and gazed up at the skylight. He tied the paperweight into a knot at the end of one curtain, and attached that curtain to the other. Feeling very Indiana Jones-ish, Ulirch spun his makeshift grappling hook and tossed it upward toward the hole in the glass. It soared through and landed with a thunk. Ulrich tugged on the curtin to test it. It stuck, so he tried hanging his weight off it. It stil held, so he made sure he bag was securely on his shoulder and climbed back up.  
  
Ulrich emerged into the night sky, peering around. Yumi was long gone, but he hadn't really expected her to stick around and wait for him. Ulrich glanced over the egde of the building. A lone dumpster was all the alley had to offer. It was open, but at least it was something. Ulrich positioned himself over it and lowered his body down slowly. Once he was streched out completely he let himself drop into the dumpster.  
  
It smelled. Bad. Like something had crawled in there and died. Ulrich scrambled out of it, holding his nose in protest and using the other hand to try to wave away the smell. He fled the scene quickly.

-----  
  
Ulrich returned to his apartment. He had enough sense to re-lock the door and secure the chain after entering at least, but he was suddenly very tired. The day had caught up with him. Not bothering to change out of his clothes he slumped into bed and promptly fell asleep.

-----  
  
Ulrich awoke to a sense that something was out of place. The clock read three in the morning, indicating that he hadn't been asleep very long. He got up and moved silently to the doorway of his bedroom. A light shone down the hall from the living room.  
  
The bounty hunter instincts kicked in and Ulrich went into stealth mode, slinking down the hall in his socks ready to pounce on the intruder. He paused at the doorway and looked in.  
  
Yumi Ishiyama sat poised on his couch. She was picking at her nails in a bored fashion. "Not used to all-nighters I take it?" This was said without her even glancing up at him. Ulrich was dumbfounded at her knowledge of his whereabouts. She was better than he had anticipated.  
  
Ulrich stepped into the room. "Aren't you risking getting caught by coming to my apartment? And how do you know where I live anyway?"  
  
"One, you can't catch me unless I want to be caught. Two, that's my secret. Three, what is that awful stench? It smells like something died in here!"  
  
Ulrich looked down at his dumpster-stained clothes sheepishly. He grabbed at his shirt and sniffed it. Yup, it was definately him. "Perhaps I should change," he admitted. He wasn't comfortable with the feelings she was making him experience. The first one was the feeling of embarrassment, a feeling he had never been comfortable with. The other was an emotion he had come to grips with; his feelings for her. For a moment she looked at him smugly, as though enjoying watching him sqirm.  
  
"Perhaps you should shower," she amended for him. "After that we can talk."  
  
Ulrich was going to ask what about, but decided to shower instead.

----  
  
Twenty minutes later he emerged wearing a white t-shirt and cargo pants. The idea of Yumi being in his apartment had still not fully sunk into Ulrich's brain, so he was almost surprised when she was still on his couch when he came back out. It was like a dream, or a nightmare depending upon how you looked at it.  
  
"Much better," Yumi approved, looking up and down his body. Ulrich couldn't tell if it was a platonic gesture or a once-over.  
  
"You still haven't said why you're here," he prompted, taking a seat in the chair across from the couch to put the coffee table between them.  
  
"What, no 'nice to see you after ten years?'," she said in a voice verging on sarcastic.  
  
"Well, since I just saw you not two hours ago, that would be inappropriate," Ulrich countered evenly.  
  
This earned him a smile. "True. Let's get to the point then."  
  
"Please do."  
  
"We are both after that ruby, correct?" When Ulrich nodded Yumi continued. "Then would it not make more sense to work together to find it?"  
  
"Are you admitting that you can't find it on your own?" She stiffened at the question and Ulrich felt a small surge of pride at having struck a nerve. "I mean, a great thief like you must surely be able to steal a jewel from another thief..."  
  
"Taking it back isn't the problem," Yumi snapped. "I need to know who took it to get it back!"  
  
"That's where I come in then," Ulrich concluded and Yumi nodded.  
  
"I need your connection to track the jerk who took my ruby," she confirmed.  
  
"Your ruby?"  
  
"It will be mine," she informed him primly.  
  
"It's probably just under there," Ulrich told her.  
  
Yumi looked confused. "Under where?" Ulrich grinned impishly and Yumi thought over what he had said. She blushed and glared at him. "You haven't changed one bit," she snapped angerly, flushing in mortification of his trick.  
  
Now it was Ulrich's turn to look smug. Checkmate. "We should get going then," he said, moving to grab a jacket.

----------  
  
BIG NEWS!  
Hey there minna-san! I know I don't do the whole A/N thing a lot anymore, but I wanted to tell you to check out my new webpage! It's a fanfiction archive, and I would love some submissions! There are instructions on how to submit there, so go have a look-see!


	6. Loaded Guns

**Chapter Six: Loaded Guns**  
  
_**"Uh-oh. Have you been reading those Nancy Drew books again?"**  
-Ranger, Janet Evanovich's 'Three to get Deadly'  
  
**"Vinnie is 5"7, looks like a weasel, thinks like a weasel, smells like a French whore and was once in love with a duck."**  
-Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich's 'Four to Score'_  
  
"Looks like you've been doing pretty well for yourself," Yumi mused aloud as they left the apartment building and emerged back onto the darkened city streets, heading towards the parking lot. "This place is pretty upscale."  
  
"It gets lonely though," Ulrich responded without much thought.  
  
Yumi laughed. "Starting to regret things? That's not like you."  
  
"You act as if you know me," Ulrich snapped to cover his previous statement.  
  
"I used to." He couldn't tell if it was anything more than a statement, a simple fact. Was there a hint of longing in Yumi's voice? Did he want there to be? Was he over-analyzing her every move? He looked down at her, and came to realize that it was a first for him. She had always been taller, but time had caught up and he had grown up to surpass Yumi in height.  
  
"Have you kept in touch with anyone?" Her voice snapped him out of his reverie.  
  
"Aelita. We email every once in a while. She's a business woman, a very sucessful one at that. Of course, how could she not be?"  
  
"I haven't. I guess I just kind of lost touch with everyone. So how is Aelita doing? Does she give you finacial advice, girl advice? Is she still with Jeremie?"  
  
Ulrich almost lost the veiled question in her statement, but caught it. "She's okay, and no she's not with Jeremie anymore. They broke up after high school. Is that your way of asking If I'm involved with someone?"  
  
Yumi's face grew hot, though it was hard to tell in the dark, the city's ever-present lights not enough to illuminate her features. "Of course not. Why would I care?"  
  
"If you still had feelings for me."  
  
"Well, I don't, okay?" This was said hastily, like it had been rehearsed.  
  
"Then you don't need to know." He felt her stiffen beside him and realized that she was still easy to irk. Ulrich allowed himself a satisfied smile in the dark.  
  
She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant and failing. "You brought it up, not me."  
  
"But you don't have feelings for me, so it doesn't matter and you don't need to know."  
  
"Exactly. I don't even care." Ulrich could practically feel the steam radiating off of her. She so needed to know, but Yumi would never let on.  
  
"Finacial advice," he admitted after a long pause. They had reached his Escalade, and he pressed the button. The doors gave a click to declare they were open, and Yumi got in the passenger side. Ulrich turned the key and the vehicle hummed to life.  
  
"Nice ride," Yumi confessed, seeming taken with the leather interior. "You are doing well for yourself. Where exactly are we going, by the way?"  
  
"To the bad side of town." Ulrich navigated his way out of the lot. "I assume you have a weapon of your own? Taking my gun won't help you this time."  
  
"Why did you give it to me anyway? I was just bluffing after all."  
  
"I didn't want to take the chance that you were armed. I don't like shoot-outs."  
  
"Awww," Yumi cooed. "A softie bounty hunter, how cute." Her sarcasim had definately gotten more honed after ten years. "And yes, I have my own gun." She pulled out a .45.  
  
"Carrying concealed will get you arrested you know."  
  
"Take your own advice. Besides, I'm wanted for theft, remember? Carrying concealed is the least of my concerns."  
  
"True." They lasped into silence.  
  
"What would the answer be, if I did have feelings for you?" Yumi looked at him with question in her eyes. "Not that I do or anything," she amended quickly.  
  
Ulrich raised an eyebrow at her. "No, no significant others in my life." He found himself trying to read her expression. Did she look relieved? Excited? Smug? It was hard to tell, her face was a carefully perfected mask. He decided that turnabout was fair play. "What about you? Boyfriend, fiance, husband?"  
  
"Negative to all of the above," she answered smartly. Ulrihc stuggled to match her blank look. In school he would have been able to do it easily, but time had weakened his emotional shell and he found himself revealing a small smile, but a smile no the less. "Do you have feelings for me," Yumi's voice cut in slyly.  
  
"It was junior high, of course I don't." Ulrich made a pffft sound and brushed her question away with the wave of a hand. "Do you want there to be?"  
  
"Of course not," she said firmly. "So there's not going to be any sort of attraction here, right?"  
  
"Right." Ulrich nodded his head to emphasize the word. "We are two prfessionals working together to find a stolen jewel. No attraction whatsoever." He wondered if that was true. Could he work side-by-side with Yumi without any feelings towards her? Was that even possible? Somehow he doubted it.  
  
There was no definate line as to when they reached the bad side of the city. The first signs were the hookers who stood on the street corners. They looked at Ulrich in anticipation, but didn't seem overly dissappointed when he didn't pull over.  
  
Next came groups of gang members loitering about guarding their turf from interlopers. They glared at the Escalade but made no moves against them. Ulrich noticed Yumi tensing up slightly.  
  
"Nervous," he asked.  
  
"Aren't you," she responded, eyes locked on the street ahead of them as though boogymen were going to atttack them out of the shadows.  
  
"You do your work in the dark, and yet you're afraid to be out here?" Ulrich was hesitant to call what Yumi did 'work' but it did fit.  
  
"I don't usually work on this side of town," she informed him. "And I'm not sure I'm ready to shoot someone."  
  
"With any luck there won't be any shooting," Ulrich consoled her. "Just don't offend anyone." Yumi made a 'hmph' sound. He eased the vehicle over to the side of the road and parked it. "We're here." He looked her over now. "You may want to have that gun loaded."  
  
They had stopped in front of a dingy old gas station. The lights were off and Yumi would have thought it deserted had Ulrich not gotten out and started towards it. She jumped out of the Escalade and scampered after him into the shady gas station.  
  
Inside, Ulrich had walked over to an ancient cooler that had once stored pop and beer. He slide the door open as Yumi caught up and stepped through. Yumi followed him down a long steep staircase. "Where are we going?"  
  
"To see Vinnie."  
  
Ulrich stopped upon reaching a door guarded by two goons. They were built up like wrestlers and Yumi got the distinct impression they could snap her in half. Combined with the Glocks resting in holsters on their hips in plain view and the men were a scary sight.  
  
"I'm here to see your boss," Ulrihc told them in a commanding voice. The men's eyes shifted to Yumi. "The girl's with me," Ulrich clarified. The men nodded and one opened the door to allow them to enter. Yumi squirmed under their gaze as she passed.  
  
The room beyond was dimly lit, but Yumi could make out a desk with a man behind it. The room was smokey too, and smelled of cigars.  
  
Ulrich marched up to the desk. "Vinnie," he greeted the man.  
  
"Ulrich. What brings you to my humble gas station on a night such as this? And who is your guest?" Yumi could sense rather than see his eyes on her. It made her skin crawl.  
  
"We need information on the ruby."  
  
"What ruby? There is no ruby here."  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, Vinnie. You run crime in this city, you must know where it is." Ulrich's voice was impatient.  
  
"Ah, now I know who she is. Yumi Ishiyama, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. How is it that the thief is with the bounty hunter?"  
  
Ulrich grew exasperated. "Vinnie!"  
  
Yumi almost felt the man's gaze shift to Ulrich. "Are you demanding something from me?"  
  
The bounty hunter nearly fell back a step, but stood his ground. "I have to know where that ruby is!"  
  
"I told you I don't have it. Now I suggest you leave. Miss Ishiyama, you are welcome to stay of course." Yumi's skin crawled again.  
  
Ulrich slammed a fist down on the desk in frustration. "Where is the ruby, Vinnie?!"  
  
Vinnie stood, drawing himself up to his full height. He pulled out a gun, but it happened too fast for either Yumi or Ulrich to identify it's make. Ulrich grabbed Yumi's arm and moved to the door in a caution motion. He fumbled for the handle as he spoke.  
  
"Easy there, Vinnie. I don't want any trouble, we just need to find that jewel." Vinnie's answer was a bullet that lodged itself into the heavy wooden door just above Ulrich's head. The fugitive apprehension agent connected with the door's handle and fled, dragging Yumi behind him.  
  
The goons did little but stare as they ran past, a good indicator that people runnign from Vinnie was no a rare occurance, until Vinnie's voice called out, "Stop Ulrich!" Yumi gasped and caught up with him and they sprinted up the steps.  
  
The leapt out of the cooler and were halfway across the gas station when the shot rang out. To Yumi's horror she saw Ulrich go down in a spray of blood.

----------  
  
now how's that for a cliffie? check out my challenge on my website, and get ready for a hard one!


	7. The Phone That Never Rings, An Aside

boy, are you guys going to hate me for this one.  
**Chapter Seven: The Phone that Never Rings; And Aside**  
  
**_[Why don't I like the girl I see?_**

**_The one who's standing right in front of me?]_**  
  
_Yumi climed up the stairs to the dorm rooms and walked down the empty hall. She arrived at the desired door and opened it without knocking. She had a study date with Ulrich  
  
Ulrich sat on the bed next to Emily. They had their history textbooks open in their laps, but they weren't studying at all. As Yumi opened the door, Emily leaned in an planted a kiss on Ulrich's lips. Ulrich drew back shaply at the same time as Yumi's books hit the floor. The pair on the bed turned to see Yumi. The older girl left her books on the floor and fled back down the hall.  
  
Abandoning Emily, Ulrich sprinted after her, calling her name. He caught up to her in the school's courtyrad, grabbing her shoulder to stop her.  
  
"Yumi, let me explain," he pleaded.  
  
"What's to explain?!" She wheeled on him, seeming to grown in her anger. "You're with Emily, there's nothing to talk about!" Tears ran unbidden down her ivory cheeks.  
  
**[Why don't I think before I speak?**_

_**I should have listened to that voice inside me.]**  
  
"Yumi, take it easy. She kissed me, I didn't kiss her!"  
  
"But you didn't stop her," Yumi said. "You didn't push her away! How does that make you any less guilty than her?"  
  
"Look, Yumi, I care about you, okay?" Ulrich blushed, but kept going. "I'm not with Emily. I didn't even want to study with her, but she said she needed the help." A crowd had gathered now and the other students were listening.  
  
"That still doesn't explain the kiss!"  
  
"Yumi-"  
  
"Look, Ulrich, I don't want to hear it, okay?" Yumi turned and ran away down the path towards the school gate. Ulrich shouted angerly after her.  
  
"Yeah, welll, if that's how you feel than just leave!" He stood there for a long time until Odd stepped forward out of the crowd and put an arm around his shoulder.  
  
Yumi thrashed fitfully around on the futon. She jerked awake, face stained with tears and pillow soaking wet. She clamored out of bed and went ot her window, staring out at the darkened city. A street light on the corner flickered softly.  
  
No more tears, she told herself. No more crying.  
  
Yumi turned to walk back to the futon. Her gaze drifted to her dresser as she passed it and her eyes locked on the flower.  
  
It was shriveled and dried, it's life having been long ago sapped out of it. Ulroch had given it to her when her parents had been fighting. Yumi had kept it even after it's healthy glow had faded. Lowering her eyew, Yumi forced herself to walk solemly past it.  
  
Her digital clock was proclaiming four am in bright red letters. Too early to be awake though. Next to it lay her mobile. Yumi cringed at it, a painful reminder that Ulrich almost never called her anymore. Not since X.A.N.A. had been deactivated in fact. A phone that never rings, she thought numbly.  
  
**[I must be stupid, must be crazy **_

_**Must be out of my mind **_

_**To say the kind of things I said last night]**  
  
Yumi caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror that hung dutifully on the back of her door. She looked positively awful, eyes red and puffy from crying, hair askew. The teen allowed herself a morbid grin. And she had thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse after the fight with Ulrich, but then her parents had dropped the bomb about moving. See, Yumi, she told herself. This is why you don't screw with fate. It screws you back.  
  
**[Mirror, mirror hanging on the wall **_

_**You don't have to tell me **_

_**Who's the biggest fool of all.**_

_**Mirror, mirror I wish you could lie to me **_

_**And bring my baby back **_

_**Bring my baby back to me.]**  
  
Ulrich stared at the ceiling in a numb manner. The earplugs weren't in tonight, so Odd's snores were loud and clear in the still morning air. His digital clock read four am, but Ulrich wasn't tired. The ceiling had no revalations on his promblem to provide Ulrich with tonight though, so the boy allowed his gaze to wander. It fell on the mirror that came attached to the door of their wardrobe, which Odd had left carelessly open.  
  
The boy in the mirror stared back at him. Ulrich didn't really recognize himself. Yes, this boy had his facial features, but he somehow seemed distant. Ulrich rose and walked to the mirror.  
  
The mirror satred back, mocking him. Ulrich raised a hand and placed it on the mirror, watching as his reflection did the same.  
  
**[Why did I let you walk away?**_

_**When all I had to do as say 'I'm sorry?']**  
  
His hand closed slowly into a fist as Ulrich remembered Yumi's words, and his own.  
  
'Look, Ulrich, I don't want to hear it, okay?'  
  
'Yeah, well if that's how you feel, than just leave!'  
  
Ulrich closed his eyes to block out the imgage of Yumi running. From him. He made her cry, made her run. That was the last thing he would ever want to do. And yet he had shouted after her, trying to save face before the crowd. Why hadn't he simply apologized? He cared too much about Yumi to simply let her go! But there he was, more concerned that the crowd would think him weak than about going after Yumi. His final words had stung worse than the kiss itelf he was sure.  
  
**[I let my pride get in the way **_

_**And in the heat of the moment I was to blame.]**  
  
Odd's snores seemed oddly comforting in the otherwise silent room. Moonlight streamed in through the window, giving the dorm a peacful, serene feeling dispite it's inhabitant's stress.  
  
Ulrich caught sight of his cell phone laying on his desk. It occured to him to call Yumi to apologize. He realized that he never called her now that X.A.N.A had been shut down; there was never a need to. A phone that never rang. He reached for the phone, but stopped halfway. She was probably asleep and waking her up wouldn't make Yumi any more pleased with him.  
  
The boy looked back in the mirror and sighed at himself. He would just have to wait until the morning._

_----------  
_  
that was a flashback to the night before the prologue in case anyone got confused! Aren't I evil? And you all thought you would get to find out what happened to Ulrich!


	8. Looking Out for Number One

**Chapter Eight: Looking out for Number One**  
  
**_[I hold a tender place in my heart for you _**

**_And you know it _**

**_I've never said it out loud _**

**_Guess I was too proud _**

**_To ever show it _**

**_We always thought some night _**

**_That we might get it right _**

**_But that ain't going to happen today _**

**_Ain't it just like you to leave _**

**_Ain't it just like me to let you walk away]_**  
_-Toby Keith, 'Ain't it Just Like You'_  
  
Yumi hit her knees next to the fallen bounty hunter. She cast a quick glance behind her, but the goons were no where in sight. They seemed to have retreated, but Yumi had no time to question why.  
  
Blood was seeping from Ulrich's wound, which seemed to be on his arm. The blood was soaking through his jacket and pooling on the floor next to him. He raised himself up on one knee and felt at his left arm.  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"I'm fine. It's a flesh wound, no serious damage." Yumi personally considered anything that could knock Ulrich to the floor serious damage, but bit her tongue. It's not like I care about him or anything, she told herself resolutely. If she cared it might mean she had feelings for him, and no good would come of that.  
  
"Where did the goons go," she whispered as he rose to his feet shakily.  
  
"Vinnie's orders were to stop me, which they did. I never gave them many points for intelligence. We better move it though, once ol'Vincent figures out they didn't kill us he'll come personally to finish the job." Ulrich lurched towards the door clutching his arm to stop the flow as best he could.  
  
"But, your arm," Yumi objected.  
  
"Flesh wound," Ulrich repeated dryly. "We can worry about my arm once we are out of here. Right now our lives are in more danger than my arm."

-----  
  
The Escalade pulled over to the curb once they were clear of the rough side of town.  
  
"There's some bandages in the glove box," Ulrich told her. He had insisted upon driving dispite the hole in his left arm. Yumi reached into the compartment and pulled out a first aid kit.  
  
"You are obvoiusly prepared for this kind of thing," she mused as she leafed through the items to find the gauze. "But you should still go and get that looked at by a doctor."  
  
Ulrich smirked at her, shifting his body to allow her to reach his arm. She rolled up his jacket sleeve and began dabbing at the wound with a clean cloth she had also found in the kit. "Who are you, my mother," he joked lightly.  
  
"No. Your mother would be spanking your sorry behind for getting yourself shot." The words were light, but Yumi's tone was dead serious. "You are going to get yourself killed out there, Ulrich!"  
  
"And what business is it of yours," he answered.  
  
"Well, at the moment we are partners. Therefore if you get killed it is my business. Not to mention the fact that if you get killed I will probably be killed along with you. It's not a nice thought." The idea of dying for a stupid jewel didn't appeal to Yumi in the slightest.  
  
Ulrich scoffed. "Typical thief, always looking out for number one."  
  
"Somebody has to. Maybe you should start looking out for yourself." Yumi's eyes were glued to her work on his arm. Her words were meant to sting, but she didn't want to see the look on his face as he recieved the.  
  
"Who are you to lecture me," he snapped.  
  
"Just a thief, and nothing more," she answered casually, her words reminicent of Poe. "The blood loss has made you irritable it seems." Ulrich had no response to that, so they lasped into silence as Yumi finished bandaging his wound.  
  
"So what's our next move," Yumi asked once she had tucked the first aid kit back into the glove compartment. Ulrich was silent for a moment. He knew his answer wasn't the one she wanted to hear.  
  
"You are going home, wherever your home is, to get some sleep. In the moring you can forget about finding the ruby." Ulrich kept his gaze firmly on the road dispite the fact that the engine wasn't even running. He seemed to prefere the vacant street to Yumi's shocked face. "I am going back out."  
  
"You are doing no such thing, especially without me! We are in this together!" Yumi glared openly at him, white hot gaze seeming to pierce Ulrich. "I need that jewel!"  
  
"Is it really worth your safety?" Yumi stopped glaring, her expression softening at Ulrich's words. "You almost got killed back there. If they had decided to shoot you....Not all the people I deal with follow their orders to the letter." His face was grim at the prospect  
  
"If I don't find that ruby I will run just as high a risk of dying. Quite frankly I don't know what I'm dealing with here. My employer, if that's what you would choose to call him, is totally unknown to me."  
  
"What are you, a thief for hire?" It was hard to tell if it was a joke or an insult. Yumi chose to take it as the latter.  
  
Yumi glared yet again. "You don't have to put it like that. I simply work for whoever pays the best." She sniffed indignantly. "I don't come cheap."  
  
"But it sounds as if you've gotten mixed up in something a little bigger than what you anticipated," Ulrich observed wryly. "Your new boss is a bit touchy?"  
  
"Touchy doesn't even begin to describe it. Whoever they are gave me the options of get the ruby or die. I don't have the ruby by the end of the week, it's klllllick." Yumi drew her finger across her throat to show her meaning. The message she had recieved was very clear on that point: Get the ruby or face the consequences. And the consequences of failure were not ones Yumi was prepared to deal with. She would be safer letting Ulrich haul her off to court.  
  
"And I have to have it back by Friday or the U.S. government goes ape on me. Life locked up in some FBI underground prison because I knew too much doesn't sound all that appealing either."  
  
Yumi raised an eyeborw. "The FBI has secret underground prisons?" Her voice was laced with humor and sarcasm. She was internally pleased that Ulrich had developed more of a sense of humor over the past few years. Yumi couldn't help but wonder if their joking was a way to close the gap between them.  
  
"Probably not, but I would rather not find out the hard way." Yumi laughed.  
  
"Very true."  
  
Ulrich's face took on a more serious look. "Well, we should get some sleep in any case. Do you want a lift back to your residence, wherever your residence would happen to be?" Yumi got the hint out of that statement.  
  
Yumi thought a moment, then shook her head. "No. My car is in the lot at your place. And I would prefer you didn't know where I live at the moment."  
  
"Scared of the big bad bounty hunter," Ulrich asked teasingly. It seemed strange to him how he and Yumi coul slip right back into the way they had behaved in school. It almost seemed like the rift between them was gone.  
  
"Think of my place as the bat cave. You're not supposed to know where it is." The metaphor seemed oddly appropriate for her lifestyle. Normal girl by day, thief by night, dispite the fact that Batman was a good guy.  
  
"So you're like Batgirl then?" The idea seemed to amuse Ulrich greatly, and the thief smiled back at him.  
  
Yumi considered the idea, then smiled. "Sure. I'm Batgirl."

----------  
  
In response to any reviewer who has asked me if this was inspired by other fics of a similar nature, the answer is yes and no. I have never actually sat down and read another fic like this. However, I am a Law and Order, CSI, Without a Trace, etc. fanatic, as well as a Janet Evanovich fan. If you have never read a Janet Evanovich novel, I command you to go to the library and check out One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. This fic will contain many Janet Evanovich elements. Yumi has become a very Ranger-esque character, for example( i.e. the Bat Cave, and a certain event that will take place next chapter).  
  
Also, the lyrics used in chapter seven are by a duo called M2M, and the song is Mirror Mirror off their Shades of Purple cd (it sounds like something Odd would listen too, ne?)


	9. De Temps en Temps

**Chapter Nine: De Temps en Temps**

**_Take me away_**

**_We'll jump in the car_**

**_Drive til the gas runs out and then walk so far_**

**_That we can't see this place anymore_**

**_Take a day off_**

**_Give it a rest_**

**_So I can forget about this mess_**

**_If I lighten up a little bit_**

**_Then I will be_**

**_Over it._**

_-Annaliese Van Der Pol "Over It"_

_(This chapter is for my dear cousin Heather, who if she ever reads it will be sure to kill me later)  
(Also, a side note: We have two fish in French class. As in actual, living fish. Their names are Sara and De temps en temps. French II named them, not us...)_  
  
Ulrich eased the Escalade into the parking lot ajacent to his buiding and killed the engine. The lot wasn't very full, just a few cars that were scattered about in random order. Yumi and Ulrich climbed out and she started to walk five spaces away, all of which were empty, to a car that Ulrich had failed to notice before. The bounty hunter's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.  
  
In the parking spot was a midnight black 70 Boss Mustang. It was the exact same car that Ulrich had yearned for during his junior high days just before Yumi had moved. Even three spaces away it took his breath away.  
  
Yumi has stopped to see the reaction on his face, and was smirking in satisfaction. "Don't start drooling," she teased.  
  
Both were so intent on the car that they missed what happened next. (Teresina Dragonwagon knows what's coming I bet...) Right before their eyes a small object flew down from the building and hit the mustang. The car burst into flames on contact.  
  
Yumi stared for a moment. She and Ulrich we both far enough away not to have been caught in the initial blast, so her immobility came from shock.  
  
Ulrich lunged forward and grapped her wrist. "We have to get out of here," he shouted over the roar of the flames. Without waiting for an answer he hauled her away and ducked down behind an ancient Crown Vic owned by one of his neighbors.  
  
Yumi and Ulrich peered around the car as the mustang's engine caught. There was another burst of fire fueled by the gasoline and it lit up the parking lot around them. Yumi's eyes were fixed on the burning vehicle, but Ulrich was looking around. The bomb must have come from above, so....  
  
He worst fears were confirmed as he surveyed the apartment building. A window on the fourth floor was open, and Ulrich recognized it as his own. Whoever had torched Yumi's car had been in his apartment.  
  
His had very little time to dwell on this fact though, as Yumi had rushed forward with a strangled cry. The fire had used up it's fuel source quickly and had died down to a low crackling sound. "Easy, Yumi," he called after her. She didn't seem to be playing any attentiona to him though.  
  
Ulrich trotted up behind Yumi and joined her vigil beside the car. She seemed to be waiting for something, but it wasn't until the blue and white pulled up that he realized she was simply waiting for the cops.  
  
The car pulled in, sirens blazing. Ulrich thought grimly that this wouldn't be healthy for his neighbors' sleep cycle, and that he would probably be hearing the complaints for the next year.  
  
The cops jumped up and sprinted towards them. "What happened here," one asked as they approached.  
  
"The car blew up," Ulrich told him simply.  
  
"Your car," the cop asked, raising a thick eyebrow at the bounty hunter. Ulrich shook his head, gesturing towards the thief to his left.  
  
"Actually, it's hers," he confessed. The cop's partner shifted his attention to Yumi and tapped her gently on the shoulder.  
  
"Um, miss? I don't suppose you have you license and registration?" Yumi turned and smiled at him.  
  
"Well, I have my license, but the paperwork was in the car, and as you can see...." She trailed off, letting the scene speak for itself. She reached into her back pocket and whipped out a driver's license, handing it to the cop with the air of authority.  
  
Ulroch was stunned at her lack of nervousness. Had he been a thief in the presence of a police officer he would have at least been sweating. But Yumi was acting cool and professional.  
  
The cop looked up at her. "Yumi Ishiyama? Is that really you?" he gasped and looked more closely at Ulrich. "No way! Ulrich?"  
  
Yumi looked confused. The other cop was equally shocked. "Oh my gosh! We haven't see you in forever!"  
  
"It's us, Herb and Nicolas," the other exclaimed. Urich really looked at him for the first time, and identified him as the formerly acne-ridden boy of Sissy's gang. Herb had aged well and no longer appeared to be the puberty-stricken boy he once had been.  
  
The other, it was reasonable to conclude, was Nicolas. He took of his cap to reveal the familiar hair. He had lost the hunch he had worn all through high school but still had a slightly blank stare on his face.  
  
"Nicolas and Herb," Yumi repeated. "Wow, this is a shock!" As if her car blowing up wasn't enough, Ulrich thought sourly. "I had no idea you two went into law enforcement!"  
  
"Yeah.." Herb sais sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. "This is weird, seeing each other again after all these years, huh? So, I guess you two are..." He trailed off and looked at them expectantly.  
  
The pair jumped away from each other slightly and blushed. "Married? Us? No, just friends."  
  
Nicolas and Herb looked at them as though confused by the answer. Ulrich realized it had been the general opinion during their school days that he and Yumi would end up together. Seeing them together must have led the cops to think that he and Yumi.... The thought was an interesting one.  
  
Herb laughed nervously. "Oh...Sorry...Um, anyway, what about the car? Did you see what happened?" Ulrich was about to tell the cop about the window, but chose not to. Telling Nicolas and Herb about the window would lead to more questions that they couldn't answer.  
  
Yumi shook her head. "It just caught on fire, so we ran."  
  
Herb gave them a look that stated clearly that he wasn't born yesterday. "Spontaneous combustion of a motor vehicle is not something we normally deal with."  
  
Yumi obviously had no response to that, so Ulrich stepped in. "She's been having quite a bit of trouble with it lately," he explained. "I kept telling her there was something wrong with it, but you know who it is. Women." He caught the look Yumi was giving him, but Ulrich continued to expand upon the lie.  
  
"She probably had something caught up in the engine, and kapow!" He claped his hands for emphasis. "Pop goes the mustang!"  
  
Nicolas chuckled slightly. Herb still didn't look convinced, but sighed loudly. "All right then. Just an accident, nothing to report here. We'll be on our way. Try to be more careful with your car next time, Yumi. We'll send someone over to haul this thing away for you."  
  
She waited until Herb and Nicolas had wandered off to the squad car and driven out of the lot before turning to Ulrich. "Spontaneous combustion of a motor vehicle? I doubt there was anything random about it!"  
  
"There wasn't." Ulrich point upwards. "Check out the window to my apartment. Wide open."  
  
"So someone-"  
  
"Entered my apartment illegally." He flipped out a key chain and singled out the key he was looking for. "We have to go up."  
  
The elevator up was a long, tense, silent ride. Ulrich pulled out his gun just as the elevator dinged to a halt and the doors slid open. Yumi followed suit and they cautiously exited the elevator.  
  
The corridor was long and empty. Ulrich approached the door and pushed on it gently. It was locked. He slid the key in and turned it.  
  
The door swung open to reveal his apartment exactly as they had left it. Not so much as a pillow on the floor or a footprint to hint at a break-in.  
  
"You take the living room and kitchen. I got the back rooms." Yumi nodded and slunk away, gun drawn and ready to shoot any hidden enemy. Ulrich performed a quick search of the bedroom and bathroom, and upon finding no boogymen hiding under the bed or behind the shower curtain concluded that the apartment was empty. He closed the open window solemly.  
  
Yumi had collasped limply onto the couch when he came back out. "My car was just blown up," she said as though realizing it for the first time. "Somebody took a bomb to my car." She sat up and looked at the bounty hunter, eyes wild. "I could have been killed! We could have been killed!"  
  
Ulrich shook his head. "That was a warning. We're digging into thing we shouldn't be messing with and someone wants us to stop."  
  
"That's one way of doing it," she spat. "Scare tactics are good."  
  
"Don't tell me the great thief is actually rattled by this."  
  
She stood and stared him down. "Is this some kind of game to you," she demanded.  
  
"This is business," he said with a shrug. "Welcome to my world. You're in for one wild ride."  
  
"I hadn't noticed." Yumi sank back down onto the couch, seeming to dissappear into it's cushions."  
  
He sat down beside her. "So you do get scared."  
  
"De temps en temps."  
  
"From time to time," he translated. "You can stay here on the couch tonight if it would make you feel safer." Yumi nodded vigorously." "I'll get you a spare blanket and pillow."


	10. Mobsters, Gangsters, and Thugs, Oh My!

I'm gonna do review responses at the begining of the chapter this time!  
  
Therasina Dragonwagon- I have not a clue when 11 is coming out. Hopefully soon! I don't know who Ulrich is, probably an odd cross between Stephanie and Morelli. Now all we need is Lula, lol!  
  
Scorpio Serpent- The bounty hunter idea came from Janet Evanovich, but Cowboy Bebop is awesome!  
  
Gohan-chan- De Temps on Temps is French  
  
To everyone who asked- In all honesty, I have no clue why they named the fish de temps en temps. I think it may have been that they knew that phrase in French so they decided to use it. I'm kinda worried about them....  
  
Unfortuneately I have to be the bearer of bad news. As of this weeked, both fish, Sara and De Temps en Temps, have both passed away into the big toilet in the sky. Let us have a moment of silence in their memory. (pauses)  
OOOOKAAAY! (claps hands) let's get this chapter rolling!  
  
**Chapter Ten: Mobsters, Gangsters, and Thugs, Oh My!**  
  
Yumi awoke slowly and blinked in curiosity at the ceiling. Her heart sped up as she realized she din't know where she was. Then her brain caught up with the night before and she relaxed. Easy, she told herself. Your 'stang got blown up so you spent the night at Ulrich's.  
  
Her ears caught the sound of clinking coming from the kitchen. Yumi shoved off the blanket and shuffled into the adjoining room, wincing as her feet went from carpet to linoleum.  
  
Ulrich was at the stove frying eggs. He turned and saw her.  
  
"You like them sunny-side-up, right?"  
  
Yumi nodded. "What time is it?"  
  
"Nine. I usually get up around six or seven, but I figured we needed the extra sleep."  
  
Yumi's eye went wide. Nine?! "Can I use your phone?"  
  
"Sure. It's over there." He gestured to a silver phone resting in it's cradle.  
  
Yumi rushed to it and dialed frantically. Ulrich listened to her half of the converstaion, but didn't hear much of any use. "Sniper? Yumi. I need a vehicle delivered to the apartment complex on Bay View, with clean clothing. Also, sent someone by my place to let P-chan out. Later."  
  
Ulrich wanted badly to ask what a man had to do to get the nickname Sniper, but decided not to ask. "Who's P-chan?"  
  
Yumi looked at him. "My dog. He's a beagle. I thought he might have to use the fire hydrant since he hasn't been out since last night."  
  
"I never pictured you as a dog person."  
  
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it gets lonely, you know?"  
  
"Why not get a hamster or something?"  
  
"Because hamsters can't attack guys I don't like." Ulrich gave a nervous laugh at her answer. "What about you? Doesn't the bachelor life get lonesome?"  
  
"I have fish," he answered. It sounded lame, but it was the honest answer.  
  
Yumi laughed. "I bet they're a real comfort on lonely nights."  
  
Ulrich slid the eggs onto plates and transfered the plates to the table. He and Yumi sat down and dug in, finishing their breakfast in silence.  
  
Yumi set her fork down and took the plate to the sink. "So what's the plan today? And don't you dare suggest that I forget about the ruby." She turned on the water and rinsed the plate off, ending the routine by placing it into the dishwasher.  
  
"We are heading back into the dark side. I want to talk to some of my operatives and see what they've got."  
  
Yumi raised an eyebrow. "You have operatives? I'm impressed."  
  
"Sounds like you've got a few yourself. Sniper, for example?"  
  
"Yes." Yumi paused a moment, then confirmed Ulrich's unspoken thought. "And I suppose since we're on opposite sides of the law you wouldn't be wanting to know how he came about that nickname."  
  
"Don't suppose I would. As long as I never hear his name on America's Most Wanted we'll just forget I even know about him." He followed Yumi's example with his own dishes.  
  
"Fair enough. Now let's go down and check out my new ride, shall we?"  
  
Ulrich blinked. "How do you know it's here?"  
  
"Because Sniper is always punctual."  
  
-----  
  
With the rise of the sun the city had awoken, seeming to wipe the slate clean of the night's events. Parked next to Ulrich's Escalade was a shiny black jaguar. Yumi smirked in satisfaction.  
  
"See? Sniper is always prompt. And this is MY car." She walked over and opened the back door, reaching in to pull out a black bag. She shifted through it quickly.  
  
"Clothes, stun gun, car keys. It's all here."  
  
"Stun gun? If you have a .45, why do you need a stun gun? Seems like overkill to me."  
  
Yumi sniffed. "Extra protection never hurt a girl. Beside, wasn't there a can of pepper spray sitting on your counter up there? You're a fine one to talk about overkill."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
-----  
  
Ulrich was ready to leave when Yumi emerged from the bathroom a half-hour later. Her hair was upswept again, and she wore no makeup. That was not unusual, as she had never worn makeup even in junior high. She had told him once that it made her feel fake.  
  
Ulrich shut the door behind them, being careful to lock it. It seemed kind of like locking the barn after the horses had already escaped, but the gesture was more habit than anything else anyway. It certainly wouldn't stop anyone who truely wanted in.  
  
They took Ulrich's car and drove out into the city streets. They were alive with pedestrians pushing their way to work and shopping. It occured to the bounty hunter that these people had not a clue as to what has happened the previous night. Ulrich envied their ignorance.  
  
In striking contrast to the streets lined with stores and pedestrians, the dark side of town was devoid of all life on the streets. Not even a hooker dared to stand on a corner and crack the veil of uneasiness that had settled over the streets like a think fog.  
  
"Something's not right," Yumi said in a whisper.  
  
"I agree. Something is very not right."  
  
The Escalade screeched to a halt and Yumi was thrown forward against the seatbelt. "Quel était celui?!?"  
  
"There was someone in that alley. We better check this out. Hurry!" The bounty hunter leapt out of the vehicle and raced off towards the alley with Yumi only a few steps behind him. Ulrich rounded the corner and Yumi could hear the sound of metal trash cans being knocked over and then a man's startled cry.  
  
Ulrich had a weasel-ly looking man pinned up against the side of the brick building by the front of his shirt. The thief was shocked to see the fierce expression on Ulrich's normally placid face. His eyes were boring into the other man's with an intensity born of a man on the edge.  
  
"What's going on around here," he demanded.  
  
The man stammered several moments before articulating an answer. "I d-don't know w-what y-you're talking ab-bout."  
  
"Sure you do." Ulrich pressed him into the wall. "No dealers, no hookers, everybody slinking around in the shadows like the rats you are. Something went down last night after we left. Now talk."  
  
The words came out in a rush and Yumi had to think about them before they made sense. "SomebodywhackedVinnieandhisentireganglastnight!Everyonedead,andnobodyknowswhodidit!"  
  
Ulrich released the unfortunate man and he scuttled off back into the shadows.  
  
"Someone took out Vinnie," Yumi said slowly. "What is this, a bad crime novel? (pretty close...) It's like we're back in the 1940's, gangsters and mob bosses! Next you'll come out wearing a pinstripe suit and fedora!" Rant finished, Yumi let the full impact of this information sink in. "What does this mean?"  
  
"Two things. One; Whoever did this is good. The goons you saw last night were only two of Vinnie's people. His posse was the biggest in the area. Somebody thought Vinnie had too much information."  
  
Yumi cut in. "Information on what? The ruby?"  
  
Ulrich nodded grimly. "Probably. It also means that things are going to get rough around here."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Vinnie wasn't what you might consider your main 'crime boss', if you're going by 1940's standards. He was pretty high up there, but they are a few more big ones, including the biggest and baddest."  
  
"Who is...?"  
  
"Therein lies our problem. I don't know. No one knows. I wa shoping Vinnie had the runy, because if he wasn't behind it our mystery mobster was. But that's not why it's going to get ugly around here. There are going to be a whole lot of thugs wanting Vinnie's place in the bad sceme of things, and they're going to be willing to kill for it. As a freelance thief you've probably dealt with some of these guys before, whether or not you realize it."  
  
"Is it safe to be here?"  
  
"I doubt it. I want to check weasel boy's story out first though. Are you squeamish about dead bodies?"

----------

Can anyone name the Ranma 1/2 reference in this chapter?


	11. Alea Iacta Est

Author's Note- The chapter title is Latin. Though I am taking French, my English teacher also teaches Latin, hence I will also be learning some Latin this year (therefore you all will be dragged along for the ride!)  
  
Anyway, don't kill he authoress. No, I'm not so lazy that I quit writing or anything, but I've become quite a bit more active in other things, so my writing time has dropped considerably.  
  
With that in mind, enjoy chapter eleven! And also, I don't think this is particuarly graphic, but keep in mind this story is PG-13, mainly for violence and death....  
  
Chapter Eleven: Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)  
  
"The good news is that they haven't started to smell yet," Ulrich commented lightly as he surveyed the lower chambers of the abandoned gas station.  
  
"Then what's the bad news," Yumi asked dryly, feeling sick. By her count there were at least twenty men dead for no good reason that she could see.  
  
The bodies of Vinnie's former mob were sprawled out in unnatural positions across the room. They had quite obviously been caught unawares by the attack, as only a few actually had guns clutched in their hands to defend themselves.  
Blood was splattered everywhere, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling in some places. It reminded Yumi of a child throwing red paint around, except that she wished no child would ever have to see this, and the stains were most definately not red paint. Yumi forced herself to swallow, fighting the gag reflex and closing here eyes to stop the bottom-dropping-out feeling in her stomach.  
  
"I'm going to check the office," Ulrich broke in, "And by the sickly green color you have turned, I'd say you want to come with me." Yumi nodded and hurried after the flippant bounty hunter, inwardly ashamed that he knew her so well.  
  
Despite the fact that there was a considerably less amount of blood inside, the offic still looked as though a war had been fought inside of it. Drawers had be pulled out of the desk, pictures torn off the walls, chair cushions ripped to shreds, and papers scattered everywhere. Vinnie was slumped over the desk with a bullet hole through his head, laying in a pool of his own blood.  
  
"I think I was wrong." Ulrich's voice was quiet. He didn't seem dissappointed, but more perturbed.  
  
"How were you wrong?"  
  
"I thought Vinnie didn't have the ruby. This office suggests that he did."  
  
"So someone came and took it from him?" Yumi had to be sure she knew what he was saying.  
  
"Precisely. The ruby has traded hands."  
  
"So Vinnie had the ruby, lied to us, and then sombody offed him to get it."  
  
"That about sums it up," Ulirch confirmed, giving a gutted cusion lying on the floor a soft kick.  
  
"Presumably the same person who turned my 'stang into a bomb," Yumi concluded.  
  
"Possibly."  
  
"What do you mean, 'possibly?'"  
  
"There could be more players in this game of ruby chess than we first anticipated."  
  
Yumi blinked at him. "That may just be the closest to philisophical I've ever heard you come."  
  
Ulrich gave her a secretive smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."  
  
They both wheeled around suddenly to see a hooded figure emerging from the shadows of the doorway. Yumi drew back,  
uneasy of the new presence, but Ulrich relaxed.  
  
"Anything to report?"  
  
The figure gave a decisive nod from beneath the hood. "I can confirm your theory. Vinnie did have the ruby, and he was already aiming to sell it when the attack happened."  
  
"He wasn't wasting any time," Ulrich mused aloud. "Anything else?"  
  
A shake of the head. "We have feelers out looking for the ruby, but nothing yet." Ulrich nodded in confirmation and the man faded back into the shadows. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Ishiyama. Though the next time we meet it may be under less pleasant circumstances." He was gone as suddenly as he had appeared.  
  
Yumi fumed after him. "Meet me? Less pleasant circumstances? The nerve!"  
  
Ulrich laughed. "Shadow. My best man, though somewhat of an enigma. He is the operative I have help me the most when I'm after a bounty, or in your case a thief."  
  
"So he's sugesting that he will help you take me down?"  
  
More laughter. "We can only assume. I know nothing about his life beyond that he is an excellent spy and he seems to move with the shadows."  
  
"He's creepy."  
  
"He's good. Now let's get out of here, I don't think we'll find anything of use."  
  
-----  
  
Yumi flopped down onto the couch that had, only the night before, been her bed with a long sigh. "It feels like we are chasing ourselves in circles!"  
  
Ulrich had wandered off to his bedroom, and his reply drifted down the hall. "We're closer though."  
  
They lasped into silence until Ulrich's voice came again. "Hey, Yumi, you haven't seen my bedroom yet, have you?"  
  
The thief blushed. "No...why?" Does he mean what I think he means?  
  
"Then how did this get back there?" Ulrich strode down the hall. Between his thumb and forefinger he clutched a single strand of long, black hair.  
  
"It was caugh on my windowsill," he explained. "It must be yours."  
  
Yumi took it from him, letting her own hair down. She placed the hair to the crown of her head. It hung longer than her own. "It can't be mine. It's too long, there's just no way!"  
  
Ulrich frowned. "Then who..."  
  
He and Yumi hit the ephiphany at the same time. "The bomb was thrown out your bedroom window-" Yumi started.  
  
"-So whoever blew up the mustang must have black hair!" Ulrich concluded triumphantly.  
  
"Unfortunately that doesn't narrow it down to much," Yumi said ruefully.  
  
The bullet shattered the glass on the living room window and wizzed right between them, imbedding itself into the wall. Yumi stared at the hole in shock. Ulrich shoved her down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table.  
  
"Watch out!"  
  
Three more load shots rang out, and then a car could be heard peeling out of the lot.  
  
-----  
  
That's as good a place as any to end it! 


	12. Separate Lives, An Aside

I got bored in study hall, sooooo... 

disclaimer- I (still) don't own Code Lyoko, and the song is by Toby Mac.

**Chapter Twelve: Separate Lives; An Aside**

_I told the girl _

_That you should treat her _

_Like a lady, and _

_She told me all the T_

_hings you did and _

_It was shady, man._

The room was quiet until Odd burst in with his usual enthusiasm. Kiwi was on his master's bed, and looked up briefly at Odd's entrance, then laid his head back down. Ulrich was lying on his won bed, and didn't even flinch.

The off-beat boy hovered over his friend, waving an envelope like Ulrich was fish who would take the bait if he only dangled it long enough. "We got a letter from Yumi!"

The sullen boy made a point of turning towards the wall. "Correction: You got a letter from Yumi. Jeremie and Aelita get letters from Yumi. I do not get letters from Yumi, because Yumi has nothing to say to me."

"At least Yumi talks to us, unlike a certain roommate of mine. It's been a month, you can feel free to stop mourning your loss any time here, buddy."

Odd's words stung, but Ulrich accepted them as truth. He had been more quiet than usual lately, choosing his own private thoughts over the company of his friends. He knew it was putting a strain between them, but he simply wasn't in the mood for conversation. "I just don't want to talk about it."

Odd sighed and plopped down on his own bed next to Kiwi. "Of course not. Forgive me for being concerned with your emotional well-being."

The sarcasm shocked Ulrich, but again he accepted it wordlessly. Odd settled down to read his letter with no further comments, except for the occasional nod or "um-hm" to something that his friend had written.

Five minutes later he set the letter down. "Do you want to know what Yumi wrote," Odd asked. He interpreted the ensuing silence as a yes.

_She said she's had enough _

_Well, it sounds to me _

_Like you're straight out of luck._

"She likes school in America. She says it's easier there, she doesn't have to study as hard as in Japan or even in France. She's made friends, even though it's only been a month." Odd paused to consider his next statement.

"She's met a guy, too."

No reaction. Odd waited, expecting rage, shouting, anything but the oppressive silence that had settled over the room like a fog.

"His name's Chris," Odd added uncertainly. "He plays soccer..." Odd faltered, obviously at a loss. Ulrich still hadn't reacted at all to the news. "They're not going out or anything," Odd amended. "But the way she talks... she seems to like him a whole lot."

_I wanna know, wanna know _

_What you were thinking _

_I can't imagine why _

_It didn't even sink in._

_They say you never know _

_What you've got 'til it's gone._

"That's...nice.."

Odd fairly leapt off the bed, startling Kiwi. "Nice! Nice! That's all you have to say? What about true love, and even destiny? You and Yumi are meant for each other, everyone can see that but you!" It was a rare display of temper on the part of the blonde teen, but an ineffective one.

Ulrich rose, his own temper flaring as a month's worth of rage spilled out. "And what would you know about it? She's half a world away now, so what do you want me to do? It's not like I can magically appear before her professing undying love! It's just not that simple, Odd!"

"I want you to swallow your stupid pride and write to her! Try apologizing instead of throwing yourself your own personal pity party. You belong with you, so suck it up and do something!" Odd took a long breath, seemingly stunned by his own words. "Dude, you've never been one who gives up easily. I've seen you fight like heck to beat the odds and come out a winner in the end, time and time again. What makes this any different?"

Ulrich looked down, ashamed of himself, but sticking to his guns anyway. "You can't have a relationship if only one person wants it, Odd. And Yumi's made it pretty clear that she wants nothing to do with me." Ulrich moved to the door and left, slamming it behind him, grateful to be out of the room.

_She said you came crawling back _

_But after what you did to her _

_She wouldn't have any of that._

The troubled teen pressed his forehead to the wall and slammed his fist next to it. It stung, even though the wall didn't even crack. 'She won't even contact me. How am I supposed to make her understand? She'll just get angry and say that I'm making excuses.'

After a long moment of letting that thought sink in, Ulrich sighed. He muttered the one inappropriate word that Yumi had ever agreed to teach him.

"Chikushou"


	13. The Uses of Adversity

**Chapter Thirteen: The Uses of Adversity**

Yumi felt herself shaking as silence settled over the apartment. Ulrich shifted slightly on top of her. It occurred to Yumi that if it wasn't such a dire situation that she would have been really embarrassed to have Ulrich lying on top of her. As it was, he had shielded her with his body, and she was grateful.

"You okay?" His voice was a soft, barely audible whisper next to her ear.

"Yeah, I think so. No bullet holes anyway." She waited with a mix of relief and disappointment as Ulrich lifted himself off of her. 'Stop that,' she chided herself mentally. 'He's just a bounty hunter, a stupid government-employed bounty hunter who's job is to bring you in, remember?'

Yumi pushed herself up and gazed around the room, assessing the damaged. The window was shattered, with glass scattered over the carpeted floor. The bullets had lodged themselves in the wall over the couch, leaving four holes to mark the entry points.

"We'd better clean this up," she said after a long moment of eerie calm, like after a storm.

"You're sure you're okay? Not too many people can handle getting shot at like that and just get up and walk away" His voice was concerned, but Yumi brushed it off.

"I'm fine, Ulrich! I'm not some frail little teenager who needs to be protected, okay?" Yumi's eyes were an angry storm.

"You were never frail, and I never said that you were. You've always been just as tough as I am. I was just worried about you. You act like you've never been shot at before."

She froze in place. Ulrich laughed. "Is that it? You've never been shot at before? The big international thief has never stared down the barrel of someone else's gun?"

Yumi jumped to defend herself. "So what? It's different when someone has a gun to your head verses being sniped at in an apartment. Besides, I've never been caught, so it's not like I've even been shot at."

"You make a good point," Ulrich admitted lightly. "In any case, why not make yourself some hot chocolate to calm your nerves? It's in the third cabinet on the left."

Yumi nodded wordlessly and exited to the kitchen to do as Ulrich had suggested. He got out the vacuum and began to sweep up the shattered glass. He was attaching a piece of clear tarp to the window to cover it when Yumi popped her head in the kitchen doorway.

"Hey, why hasn't anybody come by at ask about the gunshots? Neighbors, the superintendent? Doesn't anybody care?"

Ulrich made a scoffing noise and stood up to admire his handiwork. "It's not that they don't care, it's just that everyone in this apartment complex are too concerned with their own lives to care whether I live or die. And I tend to keep a low profile, so no one here would mourn my loss. The super keeps his nose out of his tenant's business unless they ask him for something, such as my heading down now to ask him to replace this missing window in here."

"That's rather depressing," Yumi mused.

"It's the sorry truth."

They lapsed into silence as Yumi digested that information. "So no one would care if you died? You don't have any friends at all?"

Ulrich paused. He wasn't facing her, but Yumi could almost see the thoughtful expression on his face. "I guess not. I have employees and flunkies, but not any true friends. How about you? If that bullet would have hit you, would there be anyone crying for you?"

Yumi walked back into the living room, swirling the hot chocolate around in the large mug. She sat down on the couch and pondered for a moment.

"I guess....No. I'm on the move too much to make any real friends. My building is about the same as yours, everyone is too concern with themselves to notice anybody else."

"Well, I take that back," she said after a moment. "P-chan would miss me!"

Ulrich flashed her a smile. "Two peas in a pod, that's us."

Yumi smiled back, albeit ruefully. "Two friendless tabigarasu on opposite sides of the law."

Ulrich laughed, though he hadn't understood the Japanese word. "At least we have each other," he lamented.

Yumi froze with the mug halfway to her mouth. What did that mean? She gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess we do,  
don't we?"

Ulrich's response was cut off by a single sharp rap at the door. His face clouded slightly and he rose wordlessly to answer the beckoning knock. Yumi followed him to the door curiously.

Ulrich looked through the small peephole and then opened the door, to reveal Shadow standing there and holding a young woman by the arm. She was struggling, but seemed to be no match for the hooded man.

"A friend of yours," he inquired of Ulrich. "I found her trying to escape your parking lot with a rifle in her car. But I don't suppose you would know anything about that." It seemed to Yumi that Shadow must have been grinning in a mad fashion under the hood, but she couldn't tell. The mysterious man had a way of staying in the shadows.

Ulrich himself grinned wickedly. "Actually, tht's quite the coincidence, because Miss Ishiyama and myself were just shot at." Ulrich was focused on his flunkie, but Yumi was watching the girl. Had she reacted when Ulrich had said Yumi's last name?

"Well, it is fortunate that I happened along then, isn't it? I trust you will be able to deal with her then."

Ulrich nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Shadow." He grabbed the girl's other arm and Shadow back away, leaving Yumi to shut the door.

Ulrich guided the woman to a chair in the kitchen and stood over her. Yumi took in her apearance. Black hair, dark eyes. She seemed familiar somehow.

"Alrighty," Ulrich said lightly. "Why don't you tell us who you are and why you shot at us?" His tone was light, but Yumi could tell that he was deathly serious.

The girl tossed her hair over her shoulder, the picture of cool and collected. "And why should I tell you that?"

"Because you have been captured," Ulrich said in a more serious tone. "Now unless you want me to turn you back over to Shadow, I suggest you start talking."

She shrugged, obviously unconcerned. "Fine then. But first, I have to ask you a question." She pointed at Yumi.

"Are you Yumi Ishiyama? Born in Japan, raised in France and attended Kadic Jr. High until moving to America?"

Yumi smirked, realizing who they were dealing with. "That would be me. And I suppose, since you know that much about me and you look exactly like her, that you are Sissy Delmas, the principle's daughter who never liked me very much because I was your main rival for Ulrich. Am I correct?"

The woman nodded. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Ulrich smacked himself in the forehead. "Did everyone who went to Kadic go into something involving the law? I mean for heaven's sake, I'm a bounty hunter," he pointed at Yumi, "You're a thief, and Sissy's a hit-man! Not to mention Herb and Nicolas driving a blue and white!"

Sissy looked at him for the first time. "I don't believe it! Is that you, Ulrich?"

"The one and only," Ulrich confirmed dryly. "Boy, this little adventure is turning out to be some kind of Kadic reunion, isn't it?"

"No kidding," Yumi agreed. "But you still haven't answered our question, Sissy. Why did you attack us?"


	14. Primum Non Nocere

I'm sorry it's taking me forever to update, I really am! My sport is almost over, so I'll have more time then to update.

Thsi goes out to Deathgirl997 for helping me over a mild case of writer's block. Thank's for the ideas, they really do help. Credit to you for this chapter and the next one as well.

**Chapter Fourteen: Primum Non Nocere (First do no harm)**

_**"There are three things in life people love to stare at: A rippling stream, a fire in a fireplace, and a zamboni going round and round"  
"I love a zamboni"  
"We all do"**  
-Grissom and Sara, respectively, CSI (The quote is completely random, but I thought it was funny, so it's being put there. Deal with it.)_

Sissy leaned back casually in the chair. "Didn't we already establish that? Ulrich just said I'm a hit man, or woman in my case. I was hired to exterminate you two. I also threw the bomb in the mustang. A sweet car, I hated to see it go. Oh, well."

"Hired by who," Ulrich said in a low tone.

She shrugged again. "I don't know."

Ulrich slammed a fist down on the table. "How could you not know?" Yumi couldn't tell if it was a question or not.

Sissy stared at him long an hard, dark eyes burning into his own. A small smile played across her lips as she finally spoke. "I got a phone call with orders to come to this apartment complex and fire a few shots into this apartment. The intent wasn't really to kill either of you, but if one or both of you had died it wouldn't matter all that much."

Yumi didn't like the way she suggested that their lives meant so little. "So you just meant to scare us off the ruby hunt?"

Sissy blinked. "Ruby?" She thought for a moment. "Oh, that thing that everyone's in a uproar about because it got stolen. You two are looking for that?"

Yumi and Ulrich exchanged glances, and Yumi knew she'd made a mistake. Had clueing Sissy in that they were hunting for the ruby been wise? Too late now.

"Yes, we are," Ulrich said cautiously.

Sissy laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I have no way of contacting whoever called me. Besides, they obviously already know you're after the ruby, I doubt it matters much now who knows."

Ulrich nodded, she was right. "So where does this leave us?"

Yumi sat down heavily in the chair across from Sissy. "Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere."

Ulrich was still looking at Sissy. "Is there anything you can tell us about the person who hired you?"

She shook her head. "Not really, but the caller was a girl."

Yumi cocked her head at the younger woman. "That's not much, but it's a start."

Yeah, it only narrows it down to about half the population of New York," Ulrich spat.

"It's better than nothing," Yumi reasoned.

From down the hall there was the sound of a machine whirring to life. All eyes turned to stared down the empty hall, and then the girls glanced at Ulrich.

He shrugged. "Fax machine." Ulrich marched down the hall and disappeared into another room Yumi had yet to see, presumably the office. A few moments later he emerged again.

"It says that there's going to be a formal affair tonight that we should attend if we want to find the ruby. And it's addressed to Yumi. The place where the party is going to be held is on here too."

Yumi raised and eyebrow. "And who sent this mysterious fax?"

Ulrich shook his head. "No number or anything. I don't know how it's possible, but there's no way I can trace this."

Yumi snatched the paper and read the message for herself. "Completely impossible," she mused aloud. "Whoever sent this is good. Really good."

Ulrich smirked. "No kidding. That leaves us with one question."

"What's that," Yumi asked.

"Do you have a formal dress to wear tonight?"

Sissy broke in before Yumi could answer. "You don't mean you're actually going?"

Ulrich shifted his attention back to her. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Hello! Can't you see it? This whole fax is obviously a trap to set you two up. You could get killed!"

"Coming from a woman who just tried to shoot us, that almost seems funny," Yumi retorted.

Ulrich shifted his gaze back to her. "I'll change my question. Do you have a formal dress to wear tonight that you can tuck a gun into without being obvious?"

Yumi shook her head. "No, but I have a handbag that would match my dress very nicely that I can tuck a gun into without being obvious. Would that work?"

Ulrich smiled. "It would work very nicely."

Yumi nodded. "I'll head back to my apartment then and get ready."

Sissy stood up. "You're just going to leave? You're not having me arrested?"

Ulrich shook his head. "That would raise awkward questions about Yumi's....occupation. We'll just have to let you go for now. Just don't shoot at us again."

Sissy rose silently and exited through the door that Yumi was holding open. "I'll be back by five Ulrich."

"Okay," he said. Both girls left and Yumi shut the door behind her.

Ulrich looked around the apartment. It seemed strange for it to be empty now. Yumi's presence had broken the solitude that he had lived in for so long that her absence made everything dismal.

"How stupid," he chided himself. "She's coming right back." But she had walked out before. And for some odd reason, this time Ulrich wanted to make sure she stayed.

He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. 'Let's go over this,' he thought. Grabbing a pen and pad of paper sitting on the coffee table, he began to write.

_1. Vinnie's gang stole the ruby, and then it was stolen from them._

_2. Someone hired Sissy to scare me and Yumi off of looking for it._

_3. That someone may or may not be female. All we know is that a woman made the call._

_4. Someone wants Yumi to go to this party for a reason._

_5. We don't know what that reason is._

Ulrich sighed. "I agree with Yumi. No matter how much information we get, we have absolutely nothing."


	15. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc

The title of this chapter is a Latin phrase which means "After this, therefore because of this." This is called the theory of coincidental correlation or the "post hoc" fallacy, which holds that it's incorrect to assume that if one event follows another, the first event caused the second event to occur (if you jump up and down and it starts to rain immediately afterward, it's a fallacy to assume that your action caused the downpour). 

**Chapter Fifteen: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc**

Ulrich was tugging impatiently at his tie when the knock came at the door. He walked to it calmly and opened it. Yumi was resting her weight on one hip, causing the long slit in her dress to reveal much of her leg. Ulrich found himself staring until her voice broke in, sounding half annoyed and half amused, no doubt at the goofy expression he must have been wearing.

"How do I look?"

Ulrich shook his head to clear it. "Perfect. Do you have your gun?"

Yumi brandished her handbag, a black one that matched the dress perfectly. "Never leave home without it," she quipped lightly.

"Is it loaded," Ulrich pressed.

"Of course,' Yumi said haughtily. "What good would it be if it wasn't?"

Ulrich smiled. "Just checking." Yumi made an indignant noise. Ulrich decided to change the subject. "So, did you see where Sissy went?"

Yumi shook her head. "Nope. Was it really smart to let her go. She knows where you live now and everything. And she knows about me and my," Yumi struggled for a word,"...job."

Ulrich shrugged. "We caught her once, so I doubt she'll be back. Besides, she's a hit woman. If she turns you in she'll probably have to explain herself, and that's not something I'd imagine she'd want to do. You're safe."

"Are we ready to go then?"

"Just let me grab my jacket."

Moments later they were out in the parking lot debating cars. Ulrich won in the end, and Yumi climbed into the Escalade stubbornly.

The ride to the party was silent, with Ulrich consulting the mysterious invitation occasionally to make sure that he had the street right. Finally they pulled up to a spacious office building.

"Do you know where we are," Yumi hissed excitedly. She continued before Ulrich could answer. "This is SpinTeck, the most successful company in the city!"

"Then why are we here," Ulrich asked, dropping his voice to match Yumi's own whisper.

"I have no idea. Whoever sent the fax must work here."

"Only one way to find out." Ulrich pulled up to right in front of the building where a valet stood at attention. "Now remember," he prodded before getting out, "We're a couple."

Yumi rolled her eyes. "Of course, dear."

"Great, darling." They exchanged annoyed looks with each other until the valet tapped uncertainly at the window. Ulrich took the hint and got out as the man went around to open Yumi's door for her. He flipped the man the keys and stuck his arm out for Yumi.

"Shall we?"

She gave him an impish smile and took his arm. "Let's."

Inside there was an entryway with racks and hangers for coats and a red carpet that disappeared around a corner leading to the main ballroom. Yumi hadn't even thought to bring a shawl to hang, so they continued down the carpet and through a massive pair of doors.

"Fancy place," Yumi mused, eying the marble floor and high ceiling appreciatively. "Kind of fancy for a simple office building though, don't you think?"

"I guess they built this place to prepare for this sort of thing."

Along one wall there were buffet tables set up with hors d'oeuvres and wine. At the other end a band was playing a waltz softly. "Fancy," Yumi muttered as one couple twirled by.

They stood for a few more moments watching the crowd. "We should try to blend in," Ulrich said suddenly. "We should dance."

"You can waltz?" The question came with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I can waltz! I'll prove it." Ulrich bowed slightly, placing a hand out. "May I have the honor of being your partner for this dance, miss?"

Yumi placed her hand on his own mutely and allowed herself to be lead to the middle of the floor, where Ulrich proceeded to show off his waltzing skills, throwing hin extra twirls occasionally to make her dizzy.

Yumi laughed as they spun. "I get it, I get it. Knock it off!"

Ulrich laughed as well. "That what you get for suggesting that I can't dance!"

The song ended abruptly, melting into a slow song. Couples all around them pulled closer, bodies touching as they swayed to the music. Yumi and Ulrich froze, watching uncertainly.

"We are a couple," Yumi reasoned slowly.

"At least for tonight," Ulrich added hastily.

"Of course," Yumi amended. "So we might as well..."

"Just so people don't get suspicious," Ulrich concluded.

She nodded. "Most definitely. I mean, after all, we don't want people to suspect..." She trailed off as Ulrich pulled her close. Yumi rested her head comfortably on his shoulder, breathing in his scent and relaxing in Ulrich's presence. She could feel his heart beating in his chest, and realized that her own must be going just as fast.

"Hey, Yumi," Ulrich said softly. She raised her head off his shoulder to meet his gaze. "You know, this would probably look more real if we, um...kissed."

Yumi felt her face begin to flush. "I suppose so. It is just an act, after all." She laughed nervously.

Ulrich nodded nervously, fighting to keep the grin off of his face. "Alright then..." He leaned in slowly, and Yumi found her eyes closing and her face rising to meet his own.

"Yumi Ishiyama? Ulrich Stern? Is that you?"

The moment was broken, and Yumi turned, breaking out of Ulrich's gentle grip to see a woman hurrying towards them.  
her hair was a pretty shade of pink, and Yumi recognized her instantly.

"Aelita? Is that you?"

The younger woman's face lit up. "Oh, I knew I recognized you! It's been years! How are you two? Why are you here?"

"We're great," Ulrich said warmly, smiling at his friend. "How are you?" He decided it better not to answer her question as to how they had gotten there.

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Aelita said. "This is my company. I never thought I'd see you two here. And together! That's a sight I never thought I'd see again!" She smiled widely at the pair. "Oh, why don't you come with me? We have so much to catch up on!"

Yumi was about to object, thinking that it would be better for them to stay where whoever wanted them there could see them, but Aelita already had her arm and was toting her away with Ulrich in tow.


	16. A Trojan Horse

Alrighty, here comes chapter 16, the final chapter. Love me or hate me, take it or leave it, and know that I thoroughly enjoyed that fact that only one person guessed my ending. Congratulations to everyone who picked up on my clues straight up until the end! 

Thanks to all the readers who put up with my sporadic, manic manner of updating, I know it drives you nuts and I love you all for the fact that you continue to read my fics despite the fact that I do a horrible job of continuing them on a regular basis.

**Chapter Sixteen: A Trojan Horse**

_**Here we go again **_

_**Ashamed of being broken in **_

_**We're getting off track **_

_**I wanna get you back again **_

_**I want you to trouble me **_

_**I wanted you to linger **_

_**I want you to agree with me **_

_**I want so much so bad**  
Matchbox 20- Downfall_

Aelita was gabbing happily all the way down the winding halls of the building. They had taken an elevator up to the top floor, on Aelita's insistence that they speak in her office. The elevator ride had been tense, as Ulrich had spied a camera in one of the upper corners of the elevator. He had prodded Yumi and gestured with his head to the camera, but all she could do was shrug in a manner that implied that whoever wanted them there was probably watching them anyway. What possible difference could a camera make?

Ulrich was brooding silently. Why are we here? Who wants us here? And why Aelita's company? Is there any significance to this building, or to meeting Aelita?

He was jerked rudely out of his thoughts by a sudden stop. Aelita was holding a doorknob and smiling at them. "Here we are," she chirped happily, opening the door to a spacious office.

"Wow, Aelita, you've really done well for yourself," Yumi gushed as she stepped into the room. "Pretty swanky place you've got here."

Aelita seemed pleased. "Thanks. I love running this company, it's like my dream job! Have a seat, you two," she added sweetly, gesturing to two identical leather chairs in front of a large mahogany-colored desk. Yumi sat down eagerly, smiling at her old friend. She had forgotten how close she and Aelita had been before her move, best friends and the only two girls within their little group of friends. It was like seeing a long-lost sister again.

Ulrich followed Yumi's lead, taking the other chair and trying unsuccessfully to find a comfortable sitting position. He wasn't sure if the chair was simply uncomfortable or if he was too fidgety to relax. Aelita had taken her own seat behind the desk, and was beaming at her old friends.

"So, what are you two doing now," she asked. "We all kind of lost touch after graduation."

Yumi and Ulrich exchanged nervous glances. How much should they tell her? Yumi's occupation was out of the question, so Ulrich decided to start.

"I'm a fugitive apprehension agent," He said casually, leaving out the whole 'I-also-work-for-the-government-tracking down-wanted-criminals' part. That may not have gone over so well.

"A bounty hunter," Aelita gushed, leaning forward. "Wow, that must be dangerous!" She laughed. "That's exactly the kind of job I would expect you to have!"

Yumi gave her a half-smile. This was nothing like the shy, uncertain girl that they had first materialized. Years in the real world and running her own company had obviously changed her old friend.

"So, Aelita, how did you climb to the top of the corporate ladder," Yumi inquired. She had to keep the topic from turning to her job at all costs.

The businesswoman leaned back in the plushy black chair, pondering the question. "I don't really know, I guess it's just what came naturally to me. I did have some problems, though. And a few times," she added, leaning down to open a drawer, "I had to eliminate those who got in my way."

Aelita rose, right hand clutching the revolver and pointing it at the stunned pair. "And sometimes I had to steal to get what I wanted, and get other to do my dirty work for me.

"But you failed me, Yumi. You failed to get me what I wanted."

The Japanese woman balked in the chair, afraid to move with the gun pointed at her, but still shocked. "You're the one who hired me," she said as the epiphany struck.

"Precisely. But stupid Vinnie beat you to the ruby, and you got caught by bounty boy over there! I was going to send you to get the ruby from Vinnie, but you decided to team up with Ulrich instead. So I had to get rid of you both."

"You hired Sissy," Ulrich concluded, eyes locked on the cold barrel. "You wanted to scare us, but when that didn't work you wanted us dead." Keep her talking, he knew. If she keeps talking, we can think of a way out of this that doesn't involve premature death.

"And I had to send my own goons to get the ruby. They always do such a messy job though, as I'm sure you saw."

"You're the city's major crime lord," Yumi added. "A Trojan horse, hidden in plain view. Who would expect that the owner of one of New York's most prominent companies was leading one of the most powerful gangs in existence?"

Aelita smiled. "Exactly." She waved the revolver, gesturing as she talked. "This city is full of suckers just waiting to have things stolen right out from under them."

Yumi nodded, catching Ulrich's eye and seeing the brown-haired boy reaching for his gun, which had been artfully hidden beneath his suit jacket. "And it was all too easy for you, since you have so much power and influence here to simply take what you wanted," the thief conceded, focusing all her attention back on the woman before her.

"You're exactly right, Yumi," Aelita nodded, completely caught up in the moment "Humans always were such gullible creatures."

BANG

The revolver flew out of Aelita's hand and crashed into the wall. She clutched at her right hand, cursing softly.

Ulrich lowered his gun and marched over to the businesswoman and grabbed her by the arm. He gestured to the phone on the desk.

"Get my wallet out of my back pocket and call the number on the card. Tell the woman on the other end that she needs to send the police to this address. Her name is Jodie, she works for my boss. She won't turn you in or anything, it's safer if you call her and not the cops."

Yumi did as she was told and hung up the phone. "Now get out of here," Ulrich coached. "If the cops find you, they'll take you in two."

Yumi paused, searching his eyes for the answer to her question. "Why aren't you turning me in," she asked finally. "Surely you're not going to let me go."

"I won't turn in my partner, Yumi. You and I are in this together, so get out now!"

Yumi nodded and fled the room, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator and curing her high heels as she sprinted down the cement steps.

The stairs led to and outside exit into an alley, and as she ran off Yumi could hear the blue and whites speeding towards the building, sirens blasting. The thief took one last look at the building before slipping off into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Ulrich slumped down on the couch when he got back to his apartment. It was...over. The word seemed so final. Yumi was gone, and odds were he would never see her again. The thought was a sobering one, and he sat in silence for several minutes while digesting that idea.

The apartment seemed quiet without Yumi. Her stay there had been brief to say the least, but Ulrich missed the other presence in the air. He could only imagine where she was now. Hopefully safe.

Sighing, he rose and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He really felt like taking a shower, but couldn't muster up the energy. Instead, Ulrich opted to change into pajamas and collapse into bed.

He was half asleep when he heard the window slowly ease open. Suddenly Ulrich found himself wide awake an alert, eyes straining in the darkness to see the intruder. A slight breeze wafted in from the open window, and he could almost make on the sound of footsteps on the floor. The near-silent entrance told him all he needed to know.

"Hello, Yumi," he said quietly.

"Hey," she said, just as softly.

"Didn't you use the door the last time you broke in here," he asked wryly, smiling slightly as he began to make out her shadowy form in the darkness.

He could hear rather than see her smile back. "Yeah. Windows are more fun."

Ulrich sat up and patted the bed. Yumi took the cue and sat down. "So, what brings you back to the bounty hunter? Surely you don't want me to turn you in."

Yumi snorted. "Haven't we had this discussion? There's no way you could ever catch me. I came back to thank you for letting me go. Most wouldn't have."

"So why don't you stay awhile? My couch is always open."

Yumi paused, and he could see the regret on her face, even in the darkness. "Oh, Ulrich, you know it could never work between us. We're too much of a danger to each other for there to be any sort of relationship." The bounty hunter would have argued, but Yumi rose.

"I should go. The U.S. government is obviously after me, it's best if I get out of here while I still can."

She leaned down and kissed Ulrich full on the lips, a deep kiss full of unfulfilled longings and desires, then turned and fled back out of the window, vanishing into the darkness.

Ulrich gazed into the night for a long while, feeling the cool breeze from the window softly blowing his hair. "She got away again," he said softly. "I'm never going to catch that girl."

**Owari**

Wow, I think I outdid myself there. Now, before I get any reviews screaming about how they should have ended up together, please consider the fact that a relationship between them really could not work considering the positions that I placed the characters in for this fic.

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed! Look forward to a new CL fic soon (I hope). If you want to check it out, the summary and all that jazz can be found in my bio. It's completely AU, kind of like Honor was, so if you enjoyed that you may like this new one as well. Also, I need a title for it, so I am open to any suggestions that you have!

Wow, kudos to everyone who made it through that.

Ransomed Heart


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